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DEAR READERS,

The week in random review

By Lyndsie Kiebert-Carey Reader Staff

One year ago today

On June 2, 2021, Sandpoint reached 89.6 degrees Fahrenheit. I’ve heard from many people that this cool, rainy spring is getting them down, and I just can’t relate. I may not be jumping into the lake anytime soon, but at least I won’t be firing up the air conditioner or freezing wet washcloths to drape over my neck in the immediate future. Last year — which saw Sandpoint at a record-breaking 104 degrees by June 29 — scarred me for life. Bring on the rain.

The cell regeneration myth

I’ve long been enthralled by the supposed factoid that every cell in the human body dies and is regenerated every seven years. Ever since I heard it, likely as early as middle school, I found it to be a poetic notion. I am — literally, physically — not the same person I was seven years ago. Some brief internet digging reveals that this is not entirely true, as the research from which that factoid stems actually found that most cells regenerate every seven to 10 years — on average. That included skin cells, which die and regenerate every two weeks, as well as some intestinal and bone cells, which often live well over a decade. The human body is still cool, but not quite as simple as the popular seven-year concept suggests.

Quotable

There’s an Irish proverb that speaks to me: “It is in the shelter of each other that the people live.” American rapper Watsky put his own spin on it in his 2013 song “Tiny Glowing Screens Pt. 2,” when he said: “We live in a house made of each other/ and if that sounds strange that’s because it is.”

ASMR, live and in person

I have been transparent about my love for ASMR videos — that is, videos that trigger an Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response, or tingly feeling, in some viewers. ASMR can be anything relaxing, from pottery making to keyboard tapping to hair braiding. My preferred ASMR videos usually include scalp massage, back scratching and stuff like that.

Before you judge, know that one of my favorite ASMRtists, known as Friends With ASMR on YouTube, recently announced that she opened an ASMR studio in Los Angeles called Soft Touch — the first of its kind in her area. I have no doubt it will be popular, and if I ever find myself in LA, sign me up.

Romaine woes

I am the only person I know who can’t eat romaine. Other greens are fine, but no matter how many times I test the theory, romaine is always a bad idea for my body. Shout out to everyone in local food service who accommodates my “sub spinach” requests. You’re the real ones.

Several years ago, the Reader presented an eight-part series examining a political migration movement known as the Redoubt movement. The basic tenets of the movement involve Christian conservatives moving to more rural areas of the country like North Idaho because they believe a societal or economic collapse will occur. They choose areas like North Idaho because of its geographic isolation, lower propensity for natural disasters, “like-minded” population and other factors.

I’m exploring the idea of revisiting this series, which has generated a lot of interest over the years. I’m seeking any families who moved to North Idaho recently for the abovementioned reasons who would like to share their stories and maybe explain what motivated their decisions. If you are interested in speaking more with me, please email ben@sandpointreader.com and I’ll get back to you. Thanks!

– Ben Olson, publisher

READER 111 Cedar Street, Suite 9 Sandpoint, ID 83864 (208) 946-4368

www.sandpointreader.com Publisher: Ben Olson ben@sandpointreader.com Editorial: Zach Hagadone (Editor) zach@sandpointreader.com Lyndsie Kiebert-Carey (News Editor) lyndsie@sandpointreader.com Cameron Rasmusson (emeritus) John Reuter (emeritus) Advertising: Jodi Berge Jodi@sandpointreader.com Contributing Artists: Ben Olson, NASA, Zach Hagadone, Brendon George, Lyndsie Kiebert-Carey Contributing Writers: Zach Hagadone, Ben Olson, Lyndsie Kiebert-Carey, Lorraine H. Marie, Brendon George Ko, Tim Bearly, Adrian Murillo, Brenden Bobby, Marcia Pilgeram, Sandy Compton Submit stories to: stories@sandpointreader.com Printed weekly at: Tribune Publishing Co. Lewiston, ID Subscription Price: $155 per year Web Content: Keokee The Sandpoint Reader is a weekly publication owned and operated by Ben Olson and Keokee. It is devoted to the arts, entertainment, politics and lifestyle in and around Sandpoint, Idaho.

We hope to provide a quality alternative by offering honest, in-depth reporting that reflects the intelligence and interests of our diverse and growing community.

The Reader is printed on recycled paper using soy-based ink.

Leftover copies are collected and recycled weekly, or burned in massive bonfires to appease the gods of journalism. Free to all, limit two copies per person.

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Requirements: –No more than 300 words –Letters may not contain excessive profanity or libelous material. Please elevate the discussion.

Letters will be edited to comply with the above requirements. Opinions expressed in these pages are those of the writers, not necessarily the publishers.

Email letters to: letters@sandpointreader.com Check us out on the web at: www.sandpointreader.com Like us on Facebook.

About the Cover

This week’s cover features a stock image of a log with the state of Idaho branded on it. Thanks, Captain Obvious. You’re welcome.

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NEWS

Kinderhaven forced to close

Local group home ‘can no longer exist’ and must cease sheltering local children in face of new legislation

By Lyndsie Kiebert-Carey Reader Staff

Even on a quiet Wednesday morning, the Kinderhaven house is buzzing with life. Evidence of the children who live and have lived in the group foster home are everywhere — in the artwork, the full bins of toys, the bike propped near the garage door.

“People walk in here, and it’s so warm,” said Kinderhaven Program Director Darcy Reimer — and she’s right, about the feeling.

It is warm. It’s home.

With the area’s lack of foster homes, Kinderhaven has filled an essential gap for the youth of North Idaho for 25 years — providing a refuge for more than 2,000 children since it opened in 1996. It continues to serve as a safe shelter for kids removed from their homes for a variety of reasons. At least for now.

Kinderhaven Board President Kathy Chambers announced in late May that the home — well-furnished and bathed in soft lamplight — would soon close its doors.

“The recent enforcement of the Family First Preservation Services Act, sweeping federal legislation which eliminates the traditional use of group homes like Kinderhaven, has made it impossible for Kinderhaven to continue to serve our local children,” Chambers wrote in an announcement to donors and local media.

“Though we have collaborated with officials at the Department of Health and Welfare, our state legislators and governor’s office, we must acknowledge our inability to exist within the parameters of the new law,” she added.

According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the Family First legislation, sponsored by Florida Republican Rep. Vern Buchanan, “was enacted to turn the focus of the current child welfare system toward keeping children safely with their families to avoid the trauma that 4 /

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results when children are placed in out-of-home care.”

The Act, signed in 2018 but only in effect in Idaho since October 2021, is meant to provide families improved access to services in an effort to “significantly shift” how the country supports parents and children. As it relates to Kinderhaven, the National Conference of State Legislatures reports that the Family First Act “seeks to curtail the use of congregate or group care for children and instead places a new emphasis on family foster homes.

“With limited exceptions, the federal government will not reimburse states for children placed in group care settings for more than two weeks,” the NCSL continued.

Critics of the bill, while capable of identifying positive impacts it might make, argue that it was rushed and failed to take into account the serious shortage of foster homes nationwide.

“On paper, it looks good to say that you’re keeping families together, that you’re keeping children at home with mom and dad,” said Kinderhaven Executive Director Jennifer Plummer.

“That’s what we all want. We want kids to stay in their homes with their parents — that just can’t always happen. I think the legislation didn’t necessarily realize the depth of the crisis.”

Child welfare experts described that crisis as about 400,000 children in foster care in the United States in 2018, when the Act passed.

“Nevertheless, the authors of the Family First Act made sure to specify that: ‘A shortage or lack of foster family homes shall not be an acceptable reason for determining that the needs of the child cannot be met in a foster family home,’” wrote child advocate and former District of Columbia social worker Marie Cohen on her blog, Child Welfare Monitor.

“One wonders where these children should go but perhaps the sponsors don’t care,” Cohen

added. “It is the states and counties that will find a place for the children, even if the federal government does not pay a share.”

While group homes such as Kinderhaven are no longer allowed to exist in the way that they have, Plummer said her organization considered making the shift to being a “qualified residential treatment program” in order to comply under the new law.

However, that would have meant significant changes to operations and required Kinderhaven to open its doors to children across the state with serious emotional and behavioral needs.

“That wasn’t our mission.

That was never what we were meant to be,” Plummer said.

“We were a local home for local children.”

Reimer has been a part of those children’s lives for 13 years. Many of them are now successful and thriving, Reimer said, because they were kept safe when their home life wasn’t what it should have been.

“We wrap our arms around

these children,” she said. “We get them into the doctor and the therapist and the dentist and into school. … We watch them thrive.”

Plummer emphasized the unfailing support from donors over the years who made Kinderhaven possible.

“The furniture we’re sitting on, quite literally, has been donated to us by our community,” she said. “We have just been so careful to be really good stewards of the intentions of our donors and our supporters.”

Plummer also lauded Kinderhaven’s “incredible” board and staff, and said that the closing of the group home does not mark the end for Kinderhaven, which will continue to support local families. What shape this new era will take is yet to be determined.

“This has been a profound labor of love for over 25 years,” she said. “It saddens us deeply that it’s come to this, but again, we have to look to the future. We want to continue to protect children and enrich their lives, and

Kinderhaven Program Manager Darcy Reimer, left, and Executive Director Jennifer Plummer, right, sit on the deck of the Kinderhaven home with one of the children who currently lives there. Photo

by Lyndsie Kiebert-Carey.

we are working diligently with our community partners to figure out how we can best continue to protect and enrich the lives of children in our community.”

“We will be keeping the community apprised of everything that we’re working on, moving forward,” she added.

With Kinderhaven closing and Bonner County already lacking in foster homes, Plummer and Reimer hope that those willing to open their homes to local children might consider making the leap now.

“We would encourage people to look into that if they’ve thought about it,” Reimer said.

To learn more about Kinderhaven’s mission and to read Chambers’ announcement in its entirety, visit kinderhavensandpoint.com.

NEWS

Sheriff launches audit committee on ARPA funds

Commissioner McDonald: Wheeler is ‘loading the deck to force an outcome’

By Lyndsie Kiebert-Carey Reader Staff Sheriff Daryl Wheeler took the opportunity during the public comment period of the Bonner County commissioners’ May 31 meeting to announce the formation of an audit committee to guide how the county will spend American Rescue Plan Act funds — a $9 million pot of federal money that has served as the subject of fierce debate since late 2021.

The committee, meant to create a framework for spending federal assistance, now sits at the center of a debate between Wheeler and the county commissioners — in particular, Commissioner Dan McDonald, who told the Reader that he sees it as an attempt to usurp power and encourage a biased outcome regarding how to spend ARPA money in particular. “[T]his appears to be their first attempt to undermine the authority of the commissioners per state statute,” McDonald told the Reader in an email, alluding to what he described as months of “clandestine meetings at the Sheriff’s office” between certain elected officials.

“While on the surface, this looks like a good offer, in the context of what we have been seeing

out of some of the other county electeds, we understand this as yet another attempt by them to undermine the commissioners’ area of responsibility,” he added.

Wheeler contends that the county’s elected officials maintain “independent Constitutional authority” over their individual offices based on the Idaho Supreme Court case Allied Bail Bonds, Inc v. County of Kootenai, and that their power “does not derive” from the county commissioners.

“Each County Elected Officer is a top-level elected official who is in no way inferior to the BOCC in its domain,” according to the committee charter, which garnered signatures on May 17 from Wheeler and five other elected officials in the county, including the prosecutor, clerk, treasurer, assessor and coroner.

“Based on our preliminary research, we have determined that ARPA funds are likely subject to section 303,” Wheeler said at the May 31 BOCC meeting, referring to Title 2, CFR 200.303 from the Code of Federal Regulations, which pertains to how non-federal entities manage federal awards.

“Consequently, until such time as Bonner [County] can develop and adequately implement a 303

program, the ICCO [Individual Constitutional County Officers] believes that the ARPA funds cannot be expended,” he continued.

The creation of the 303 framework, according to Wheeler, will “set various operational, reporting and compliance objectives narrowly tailored to enable the conduct of detailed risk-assessment” as it relates to spending federal assistance. Wheeler encouraged the county commissioners to create their own guidelines, and “after both preliminary plans are developed, the [ICCO] and BOCC can come together in conference and hopefully agree on a common 303 framework enabling the spending of ARPA funds.”

Also as a part of this effort, Wheeler said the officials launched an Internal Control Development Subcommittee — of which he is the chair — to draft the 303 framework. Also on the subcommittee are County Commissioner-elect Asia Williams and Assessor-elect Grant Dorman.

“The Auditor, as chief budget officer, shall not consider Federal Financial Assistance 303 compliant for budget purposes unless the ICDS or the 303 Audit Committee first deems that Bonner [County] has an effective system of internal

control as defined by the framework or similar standard,” the committee’s charter reads.

ARPA has remained a heated issue since concerns first surfaced in the fall that spending the money could obligate the county to adhere to federal mandates surrounding COVID-19 mitigation, such as masking or vaccine efforts. County legal counsel has since issued an opinion that using the ARPA funds likely will not lead to such obligations. Still, there is skepticism.

Bonner County Commissioner Dan McDonald told the Reader that the board has discussed the 303 requirements, but has not activated a committee on the topic, “as we were waiting originally for the legal opinion to come back that was spawned by what was a conspiracy theory regarding the potential for Presidential Executive orders, etc.”

“Our attorney Bill Wilson collaborated on what is a very sound legal opinion that made it clear to the Commissioners that the fears expressed by some in the public were unwarranted,” he continued.

McDonald said that “accounting and finances are not the sheriff’s wheelhouse” and noted both Williams’ and Dorman’s shared public stance against using ARPA

money, which came up several times during the primary election.

“Clearly, this is a case of loading the deck to force an outcome that the Sheriff wants and not what’s best for the people of the county,” McDonald said.

McDonald also alleged that county employees were attending the sheriff’s meetings during county business hours, amounting to “a possible misappropriation of public funds issue.”

In response to that allegation, Wheeler said: “The law is clear.

The Committee of Individual County Constitutional Officers is following the law.”

A request for comment from the Idaho Association of Counties regarding whether any other Idaho counties had launched 303 audit committees went unanswered before press time.

“All in all, to what end do some of these other elected officials think this will go?” McDonald said. “The ICCO’s efforts certainly are not in keeping with what the voters elected these folks to do for them, but instead appears to be more of an attempt to violate state statute in hopes to gain more power and control beyond their own authority while creating drama and division within the county.”

come under scrutiny in the week following the tragedy, during which the 18-year-old shooter was inside the building for more than hour while police remained outside restraining — and in some cases tasing and cuffing — parents desperate to gain entry and save their children. It wasn’t until U.S. Border Patrol tactical agents arrived that officers stormed the school and killed the shooter.

According to numerous national media outlets, there had been 17 mass shootings around the country in the week following the killings in Uvalde — 12 of them over the Memorial Day weekend alone.

Sandpoint Mayor Shelby Rognstad opened the June 2 meeting of the City Council with a proclamation recognizing Friday, June 3 as National Gun Violence Awareness

Day, which he said was “particularly fitting in the wake of the Uvalde massacre just days ago.”

Rognstad cited figures that 110 Americans are killed and 200 are wounded by gun violence every day in the U.S., where an estimated 6,000 gun homicides occur per year and Americans remain 26 times more likely to die by gun violence than in any other high-income nation.

“We renew our commitment to reduce gun violence,” he said, doing “all we can to keep firearms out of the wrong hands and encourage responsible gun ownership to keep our children safe.”

In observance of National Gun Awareness Day, participants are asked to wear orange — worn by hunters to ensure their safety.

In his presentation, Coon recognized that “concern about

school safety over the past week has been on all of our minds” and noted that his department has been asked, “What is the Sandpoint Police Department doing to protect our students and our schools?”

He briefed councilors on the “team effort” between school district leaders, city and county officials, first responders, mental health professionals and the public, though concentrated on the partnership between SPD and the Lake Pend Oreille School District.

Coon said doubling the number of school resource officers to two has made students “feel comfortable speaking with them about issues that are occurring in their personal and home lives” and contributed “a deterrent for potential misbehavior or delinquent activities.”

At the same time, schools have

partnered with SPD to evaluate security measures, including additional cameras; improved locking mechanisms; better communications with parents, students and staff through text, phone and email; more fencing; fire, safety hold and lockdown drills; instructional placards; and safety tours and active shooter training with law enforcement officers.

“Recently, because of the Texas shooting … schools have gone back and started emphasizing the single point of entry,” he said.

Thanking Coon and his department for their work, Councilor Andy Groat said, “Thank you for doing everything you have done up to this point, your commitment to doing more and your commitment to doing your best for us, our students and our community.”

Chief Coon on school safety: ‘What it really comes down to is all we can do is be ready for when it happens’

By Zach Hagadone Reader Staff

Eight days after the mass shooting May 24 at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, which left 19 students and two teachers dead, as well as 17 others wounded, Sandpoint Police Chief Corey Coon addressed the Sandpoint City Council at its June 2 regular meeting regarding school safety.

“What it really comes down to is all we can do is be ready for when it happens,” he said, going on to refer to all branches of state and local law enforcement when he added, “If there’s an issue that takes place in our community … each and every one of those guys will not hesitate to lay down their lives.”

The law enforcement response to the Uvalde mass shooting has

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NEWS

Schweitzer kicks off summer construction

By Reader Staff

Snow sports are over for the season, but summertime will still be busy at Schweitzer, which is embarking on a number of large-scale projects focused on road work and parking.

Schweitzer began construction on a new road in early May that will lead to approximately 1,400 additional parking spaces and a new chairlift, with the goal of creating more efficient access to the mountain.

The new road will connect to Schweitzer Mountain Road from the existing roundabout, and future developments in the area will include enhanced skier services and expanded beginner terrain, increasing Schweitzer’s overall skiable terrain to approximately 3,050 acres.

Over the course of the summer, the focus will be on developing the new road and parking area by grading and modifying the old road alignment. In summer 2023, utilities, paving and the new chairlift are expected to be put in place.

“We are in the initial stages of getting this area logged and prepped for more intense work later this summer,” stated Schweitzer Mountain Utility Director Tom Trulock. “We are hoping by mid-June the snow will have completely melted and dried out enough for us to really go to task on this project.”

The construction project is part of Schweitzer’s larger master plan, which will see the development of a dedicated beginner zone with snowmaking, additional parking, day use lodges for Snowsports School, rentals and new chairlifts.

“Creating more parking is a priority for us and it will make a huge difference for the overall guest experience,” stated Schweitzer CEO and President Tom Chasse. “It’s a positive step forward on our master plan and exciting to see the groundwork begin. I feel good about achieving our goal to have more parking and at least one new lift in time for the Winter 2023-’24 ski season.”

For more info call 877-487-4643 or visit schweitzer.com.

Community conversation on workforce housing scheduled for June 9

By Reader Staff As with communities throughout the U.S. — and especially the West — housing costs and availability are squeezing residents in Bonner County. In the past eight months alone, the median home sale price in Bonner County rose from the mid$500,000 range to $700,000, according to national real estate firm Redfin. Meanwhile, the area median income remains about $60,000 per year.

Easing that crisis is the focus of “A Community Conversation: How workforce housing can be delivered through collaboration with community land trusts,” scheduled for Thursday, June 9 from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. at the Columbia Bank Community Room (414 Church St.).

Planned as the first in a series of discussions surrounding workforce housing, the event is sponsored by Kaniksu Land Trust and Project 7B, with support from the Bonner County Human Rights Task Force.

“Most local residents have stories of friends or family who can no longer afford to rent, nor to purchase a home at the current market prices,” organizers stated. “Meanwhile, businesses are hurting for employees who either cannot move here nor remain in the area due to the gap between prevailing wages and the high cost of housing.”

A panel of speakers will address the issue, including community land trust expert Mi6 /

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chael Brown, who has spent the past 40 years working with Burlington Associates with a focus on establishing and supporting community land trusts. Brown also leads the Headwaters Community Housing Trust, a nonprofit that is tackling similar issues in Bozeman, Mont., where the organization has just unveiled its first CLT project: Bridger View.

Additional panelists will include KLT Executive Director Katie Cox and Ponderay Community Development Director Erik Brubaker. The panel will be facilitated by Lisa Gerber of Big Leap Creative. Gerber’s podcast, Breaking Trail, has tackled the subject of growth and affordability in recent episodes.

This event is made possible through a grant from the BCHRTF and with support from the Selkirk Association of Realtors and the Bonner Community Housing Agency.

The BCHA lists the use of community land trusts to create affordable housing as one of its goals, and is currently working through the process of developing Culver’s Crossing — a planned unit development on privately-owned land that would deliver income-based housing to local residents who make between 60% and 120% of the area median income.

Following the panel discussion, attendees will be invited to join roundtable discussions to explore the viability of using the community land trust strategy in the Sandpoint area.

The event is free and open to the public.

Bits ’n’ Pieces From east, west and beyond

East, west or beyond, sooner or later events elsewhere may have a local impact.

A recent sampling: Senate Bill 4, the Texas law restricting “drug-induced abortion procedures, providers and facilities,” has affected those seeking medication to help recover from a miscarriage. NPR reported that some pharmacies are denying the drugs even if legitimately prescribed, fearing legal repercussions should they be used for “the purposes of abortion.” According to the Mayo Clinic, up to 20% of pregnancies end in miscarriage, and some require the drug to avoid tissue remains that could cause infection.

There were 213 mass shootings (defined as four or more individuals shot or killed) in the U.S. during the first 145 days of 2022. NPR reported 11 more mass shootings between the Uvalde, Tex., elementary school shooting that left 21 killed and 17 wounded on May 24 and the end of the following weekend.

Is it even possible to legislate protection from mass shootings? Mother Jones pointed out that it may take decades before the U.S. adopts something like Australian-style regulations to protect people from high-powered weapons. Yet, some protections are occasionally provided: The NRA banned weapons at its recent convention, apparently because former-President Donald Trump was the featured speaker. Outside the convention site 4,000 people protested gun regulation deficiencies.

A Politico/Morning Consult poll last week showed net approval for gun controls at over 80%.

According to the authors of The Violence Project: How to Stop a Mass Shooting Epidemic, there are commonalities among mass shooters. They include early childhood trauma and self-hatred that turns against a group. Recommendations: more psychologists in schools, safe storage of firearms, more parental involvement and addressing mental health issues, which currently lacks adequate funding. Shooters typically show warning signs, which rarely get attention until too late, making so-called “red flag” laws important.

Given that Republicans in U.S Congress appear unlikely to advance measures to prevent future mass shootings, The New York Times reported that some states are not waiting. Three states are already working on firearms safety measures, such as raising the age for eligibility to buy guns. However, the current makeup of the U.S. Supreme Court appears inclined to

By Lorraine H. Marie Reader Columnist

block states’ gun control laws.

At the NRA’s recent convention in Texas, a prankster with a speaking slot described the NRA CEO’s spending scandals before praising his thoughts and prayers after each mass shooting. Many missed the sarcasm and applauded, Huffington Post reported.

Russian-Ukraine headlines: “Solar micro-grids are keeping Ukraine’s hospitals running” and “115 Russian National Guard soldiers sacked for refusing to fight in Ukraine.”

According to Reuters, some doctors are having second thoughts about Paxlovid being used by lower-risk COVID-19 patients — especially those already vaccinated and boosted. Infectious disease specialist Dr. Sandra Kemmerly said symptoms can recur after using Paxlovid, prompting more isolation to avoid COVID-19 spread.

Blast from the past: It’s been 21 years since Switzerland had a mass shooting, whereas the U.S. has one close to every day. What’s different in Switzerland?

According to Business Insider, that nation’s 8.3 million people own 2 million guns (according to the 2018 Small Arms Survey, there are 120 civilian-owned guns for every 100 Americans). Their rules and regulations include a requirement that most men deemed “fit for service” be trained in gun use while serving a mandatory stint in the Swiss military. After leaving the military they have the option to purchase the service weapon they were trained to use. That requires a permit and testing to determine proficiency in gun handling.

Meanwhile, privately purchased guns are subject to strict licensing procedures, such as local officials determining who qualifies for a gun permit, which can include consulting a psychiatrist.

Those convicted of a crime or addicted to alcohol or drugs can’t buy guns, and if a person demonstrates “a violent or dangerous attitude,” a gun permit is denied. It is also illegal to carry a gun in the streets of Switzerland.

Federal gun regulations were passed in Switzerland in 1990, in response to an increase in crime that decade. Most guns deaths are attributed to suicides, but that has fallen.

In Japan, with a population of more than 127 million, gun deaths now average 10 a year. Worldwide, Japan was the first nation to impose gun laws. Gun ownership in Japan depends on passing several tests, as well as passing a background check and a mental health evaluation.

PERSPECTIVES

“Welcome brothers and sisters, to the Temple of the Invisible Hand of Adam Smith; a sacred place of worship, where our glorious free-market system can be praised and upheld as sacrosanct — without interference from the outside world of the socialists. Indeed, blasphemers and economic heretics, ye be warned. In our insular bubble of a community, we shall not tolerate dissent — for this is, after all, a fellowship of reverence and acquiescence, and not the time or place to question and challenge our deeply held economic beliefs.

“Behold our glorious marketplace, with all of its blessings that trickle down upon us like a golden shower of freedom and liberty — ensuring that we all have the freedom to ‘purchase’ health care and the liberty to get drunk on wine when we finally realize that none of our dreams are going to come to fruition.”

Such is the mentality of the market fundamentalist.

But does our beloved economic system have any shortcomings? Is that a question that we are permitted to ask? Moreover, is that a question that we have the courage to ask?

People often view the cult mentality through a kaleidoscope of binary reasoning. When we think of cults we typically envision religious zealotry and conjure up images of Jonestown and Waco, seldom understanding that cultish behavior is exhibited, albeit to different degrees, by all groups, institutions and collective bodies — and yes, that includes our group, not just those “sheeple” who belong to some other out-group.

When the ideology of a group

becomes too sacred to be criticized by its members (be it conservatism, liberalism, capitalism, communism or pretty much any “ism”), the group inches one step closer to the cultish end of the spectrum. Dissenters are shamed and excommunicated, while those who parrot the consensus without question are rewarded by climbing the social ladder of the group.

So the question isn’t, “Do you belong to a cult?”; it’s, “To what degree does the group you belong to exhibit cult-like behavior, and to what degree do you have the fortitude to swim against the tide of conformity?”

Since there aren’t any members of the Senate or House of Representatives who are communists (no doubt, many would dispute this assertion), and since the pendulum of our economy seems to be leaning more and more in the direction of extreme wealth concentration (billionaires became $5 trillion richer during the pandemic), I’ll leave the brave task of attacking the ideology communism to the true “iconoclasts,” like Jordan Peterson.

(Sorry for the dig, Dr. Peterson, I suppose I should self-censor and “clean my room” before I engage in such vituperation?)

I am focusing here, as noted, on the cult of market fundamentalism.

Market fundamentalism, a.k.a. free-market fundamentalism, is the belief that no-holdsbarred capitalism, i.e. unregulated capitalism, is the best way to resolve our economic and social problems: “If only we could deregulate the market and decentralize the government,” they claim, “we would all be freer

and more prosperous.”

This religious-like ideology often goes hand-in-hand with the assertion that anyone who supports regulations and social programs is a “ big-government” socialist. Consequently, we are faced with a good ol’ fashioned false dichotomy: you’re either a capitalist or a socialist, and nothing in between.

It is absurd to suggest that the best way to solve our social, economic and environmental problems is to completely deregulate the market. When a corporation can maximize profit by cutting corners, that is precisely what they are going to do — it is, after all, more cost effective to let someone else worry about the externalities. When an insurance company can increase its bottom line by denying people coverage, you guessed it, that is precisely what they are going to do — it is, after all, more cost effective to let some people die.

Competition, they claim, is what makes the free market function so well. Indeed, competition in the private sector can be beneficial for things like innovation and keeping costs low; however, if we eliminate all antitrust laws, corporations will simply gobble up the competition by buying them out and, voilà, an oligopoly with no more competition to worry about.

Let this Milton Friedman-esque fantasy play out in a simulator, and we’d end up with one corporation owning everything; one gazillionaire ruling over a dying planet of impotent vassal states.

If anything, we need more robust antitrust laws, as our current system is seemingly powerless to forbid unlawful mergers and

business practices.

If we could only remove our spectacles of tribalism, then perhaps it would be easier for us to see the logical path forward: letting the private sector do what it does best, and letting the public sector do what it does best. As it turns out, a for-profit health care system isn’t something that an unregulated free market should be trusted with.

Alas, I don’t have as much faith in the almighty invisible hand as my vociferous, fundamentalist compatriots.

To get a picture of what life might be like in this laissez-faire Elysium, we must simply examine the human condition before the mitigating forces of government regulations were established — the Gilded Age is a prime example. Rewind the clock a few thousand years before that, and you have human beings in a state of nature that is, in the words of Thomas Hobbes, nasty, brutish and short.

Hence the need for a social contract: an agreement made by the members of a society that certain freedoms should be sacrificed to the sovereign of a civil state in return for the protection of the group as a whole. Hobbes believed that this state entity was imperative. He called it the Leviathan, and the social contract that we all implicitly accept is quite simple: We will all agree not to kill others in exchange for being protected from others who would wish to kill us (OK, so maybe that’s an oversimplification, but you get the idea).

Some, of course, don’t necessarily require this kind of protection, as they have the necessary resources to protect themselves.

Naturally, many affluent indi-

viduals in the private sector have an unfavorable view of such an exchange — the little they may gain from surrendering to the Leviathan is not worth losing the freedom they have to exploit the planet and its inhabitants.

Indeed, these individuals often become the cult leaders of market fundamentalism, deceiving others into believing that what is best for the individual is always best for the collective.

With many of our political debates revolving around the fallacy of the excluded middle (i.e. individualism vs. collectivism, or as some might say, “freedom vs. big government”), it is incumbent upon us to resist the impulse to see everything in black and white, and to understand that, in many cases, there are multiple shades of gray.

Government power, no doubt, should always be held in check — the Founding Fathers understood this, and that is why we have three branches of government instead of just one. Government, in the words of Thomas Paine, is a necessary evil.

Individual liberty should be at the forefront of all political discourse; however, we must also be cognizant of the fact that sometimes when one individual is given more freedom, another individual’s freedom is stripped away. Moreover, we must acknowledge that when a corporation is given the “liberty” to pump carbon into the atmosphere with impunity, the lives — and yes, the freedom — of billions of individuals may ultimately be affected.

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Disappointed and disgusted…

Bouquets: • Known by the community at large as “Sprouts,” and loved by anyone who knew him, Jeffrey Rich recently passed away at the age of 79.

Sprouts earned the moniker “The Johnny Appleseed of Sandpoint,” due to his constant care and tending to area fruit trees.

“His love for people and particularly fruit trees — as well as all things that grow — was well known,” said friend Pete Hicks.

“He also had a strong stand for peace throughout the world. I love how he carried that mission with him in a gentle, but very resolved way.”

Hicks and his wife Fiona provided Sprouts with a place to stay after he was involved in a car accident and had to undergo emergency surgery last fall.

“One of my favorite things about Sprouts was watching him dance,” said Hicks.

“He was an angel for Sandpoint, helping many people and taking care of fruit trees that weren’t even his, just doing all kinds of good deeds in a very quiet way,” said Sandy Bessler. “Many in this community will miss him.”

“As a Vietnam veteran, he has dedicated the rest of his life to bringing love and peace into the world instead of war,” said friend Jane Fritz.

We’ll miss you, Sprouts.

Thanks for making this community a better place.

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Dear editor, The primaries are over and we move toward the general election. In Bonner County we had a higher than normal turnout. Usually it’s about 35%. This year we had 44%. That’s good. It’s an improvement but it’s still less than half the registered voters showing up. That’s bad.

Registered voters make up roughly half the number of age-eligible people.

That means that only 25% of the age-eligible population chooses our elected officials. Which means less than a quarter of the people are participating in our democracy. That‘s bad.

Democracy is not a spectator sport. If it is going to work, as many as possible must participate. Otherwise we have minority rule. That’s bad.

I’m disappointed in the 50% that are unregistered. You are not participating in promoting your own self-interests. You don’t have any cause or right to complain.

I’m disgusted with the 25% that enabled a further reduction of our democracy. Those who voted for McGeachin, Giddings, Herndon and their ilk were not thinking of the majority of Bonner County. They were thinking only of their narrow, bigoted views.

Fortunately, most of the rest of Idaho decided to soundly defeat two out of three of these extremists, but Herndon prevailed over a good, honest man.

It has been said that all that is required for evil to triumph is for good people to do nothing. On Tuesday, May 17, ample evidence of that truth was provided. On that date good people simply failed to do enough. We should be ashamed.

Gil Beyer Sandpoint

OPINION

The massacre of children

By Adrian Murillo Reader Contributor

There are some crimes that are so monstrous it hurls you far beyond your fear of the perpetrators or those agitators who urge them on. Staying silent is not an option anymore. It’s like trying to hold your breath forever.

Those who talk of heightened security in schools, armed guards, armed teachers, are trying to normalize atrocity as something we just have to live with now. How can hearing that not make you puke with disgust and alarm? Do we really want to live in a society where children are afraid to go to school, wondering if this is the day they will be killed?

I’m aware that there are places in the world where this is what children live with, along with checkpoints in the streets with soldiers, suicide bombers, violent drug cartels, brutal police and militaries doing the bidding of dictators bribed by corporations killing human rights and environmental activists. This is why scores of Latin American mothers, children and youth seek refuge here.

The rule of the gun has wiped out democracy, justice and social security in their countries. And we have the nerve to take a merciless attitude toward them when they reach the border, sending a message to the world and at home.

Now we see where that merciless indifference to the suffering of others — of children — leads us.

Laws don’t change until the hearts and minds of the people change, until people find the moral conscience to be courageously opposed to violence, injustice and the talking heads who advance it, whether they are in public office or on TV. We are up against the scourge of toxic male behaviors and the weapons industry that profits from endless war, anywhere, in any form.

How many people of color have to be killed en masse before we admit racism is a serious cancer of the heart in America? White supremacy is the socio-political equivalent of methamphetamine.

It tweaks the mind with grandiose self-delusions and groundless paranoia, an obsession with the power of guns which is, paradoxically, a weak yet deadly form of power.

To talk about finding common ground, building bridges, being kinder to one another, asking the abused to forgive the abusers, is naïve at best and doesn’t stop other abusers. Why would it if they’re going to be forgiven? It’s a failure to address the root, historical, sources of American violence.

That failure leads to the fanatical anti-critical race theory politics or any discussion of race, gender or sexual orientation. An authoritarian gun culture silences discussion, debate and dissent — a condition only dictatorships benefit from.

How do you find common ground with people who deny your humanity as moral equals?

We know it’s wrong to cry fire in a crowded theater when there is none. How do we hold those accountable who cry fire in the political theater when there is none, pointing to nonexistent threats in social justice movements?

Just as with personal relationships, so too with politics: show me some signs you’re trustworthy, safe. Give me some references.

Walk the talk.

I’m part of a lot of discussions with BIPOC people across the nation about our shared trauma.

I’ve come to believe that is not the best common ground to stand on. It’s important to heal together, yes. But there’s something in the American mind that risks getting stuck there, as if only our suffering gives us agency, cachet.

Courtesy photo.

People get caught up in who is more oppressed. I think for white people, it’s about the opposite, refusing to see how the system of white supremacy harms them. Instead, they drink the Kool-Aid that right-wing demagogues hand them and insist it’s the social justice movement that harms them. They want to be seen as the ultimate victims.

Not that I can’t see they’re traumatized, too. (The patriarchal socializations of boys, in particular, often involves brutal bullying, shaming for being sensitive, having feelings deemed feminine signifying weakness and inferiority). But they are in denial about the source, depth and scope of this socialization that makes them anti-social, distrustful and racist, even as it fuels their rage. That is what makes them dangerous. Like addicts and alcoholics, they need to hit bottom before they will admit they need help. But too often, that bottom is a bloody mess, too late to make amends.

I’d prefer we emerge from these violent times in solidarity against this corruption of spirit, with the same attitudes post-war Jews had. “Never Again.” Centering ourselves with a critical analysis of what led to or exacerbated the multiple crises that brought us to this mourning place and with the additional commitment to handle outrage and adversity with collective tenderness, our shared humanity. Like poets do.

The prayer of grief is meant to be expressed in meaningful actions. There’s no Moses on the horizon. It’s up to us.

Recovery is a long exodus and the first step is commitment to make the journey and acknowledgement that it can’t be done alone. A movement for peace and justice doesn’t just need more of us, it needs more from us.

COMMUNITY

Women Honoring Women give posthumous award to Diane Arrants

By Reader Staff The Women Honoring Women committee has selected a very deserving woman as a 2022 Woman of Wisdom, Diane Arrants.

Sadly it is a posthumous award, as Arrants passed away on Thanksgiving morning 2021 after a short battle with cancer.

Born in Yonkers, N.Y., Arrants went on to complete two years of junior college before joining the U.S. Navy, serving four years as an aerographer stationed in Honolulu and Midway. Following her discharge, Arrants worked for the city of Cupertino, Calif. as a traffic engineer. There, she met her husband, Harley, and the couple moved to Idaho in 2005 after retirement.

Arrants was a driving force for the Community Assistance League, holding various board member roles and better known as the co-manager of Bizarre Bazaar. She was dedicated to running the store and making profits that benefited community grants and scholarships, working tirelessly to put her organizational skills to work.

“She loved people and loved helping others,” the organization stated. “Her smile and support greeted all who entered and gave of their time at Bizarre Bazaar, she was an inspiration to all.”

Arrants was an active Weight Watchers leader and conducted weekly meetings and filled in for others when necessary. The time she spent coaching WW members helped many on their difficult road to better health.

She always had time to chat with a friend or spend time with someone who just needed a shoulder to lean on.

The Women Honoring Women was another important organization that Diane was involved with. She was always willing to help out for any function. Again, her organizational skills were an asset at the galas, the meet-and-greets and teas.

Animals were an important part of Arrant’s life. She adopted several animals from the shelter giving them a healthy, happy home.

According to the organization: “Diane is truly missed by all, and the Women Honor-

Diane Arrants. Courtesy photo. ing Women committee is honored to give this award to her for all of her dedication to the community.”

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Mad about Science:

By Brenden Bobby Reader Columnist Planet Earth’s closest celestial neighbor has a lot in common with the big blue marble we call home. While it’s true that there isn’t any liquid water on the moon or breathable air — which means no life that we’re aware of — much of its constituent rock has a familiar source: Earth.

Earth spun around an infant solar system for about 50 million years as a bachelor before something happened to create the moon. It’s believed that around 50 million years after the initial formation of the solar system, Earth was hit by another planet with a totally bonkers orbit called Theia. This impact released a massive amount of energy, virtually liquefying both planets and merging them in the process. A huge amount of liquid rock was spun off the fledgling Earth and formed a disc of molten rock.

While some of this rock must have cooled down fairly quickly, a large enough glob of it held enough mass to generate its own gravity as centrifugal force spun the chunk around. This proto-moon pulled rogue bits of rock from the spinning disc around Earth and squeezed it to re-heat the minerals and smash them with a unique combination of pressure and heat. Over a time of likely hundreds of millions of years, this rock cooled and settled to find itself locked in a long dance with Earth.

If you’re worried about what this might have looked like for anything living at the time of the great impact, don’t worry. There is absolutely zero chance that anything was living on Earth at this point. Earth looked a lot like Mustafar from Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith for 10 /

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The moon

what we assume was hundreds of millions of years. It was absolutely not a planet you would have wanted to build a vacation home on — at least not yet.

As nightmarish as this may be to imagine now, it must have been remarkable to gaze up and see the moon at this time. Imagine not the bright, yellowish-white crater-marked surface we see today, but a giant red-orange sphere cracked from pole to pole by rivers and lakes of molten stone. The early solar system was a rough-and-tumble game of cosmic pinball.

Eventually, the Earth and the moon fell into a rhythm. Possibly because of Theia’s impact, Earth has always had a wonky wobble as it orbits. The moon’s gravitational tug keeps this wobble from getting out of control. This allows the Earth to experience four distinct seasons, which life has evolved to require to flourish.

You’ve likely heard many times in your life that the moon is responsible for the waves of the ocean and, to a lesser extent, that’s also true of our own Lake Pend Oreille. Ever wondered how this works? It all has to do with gravity.

Imagine that Earth’s gravitational field is like a giant hula hoop. If Earth were alone, it would be darn near perfectly circular. However, the moon has its own gravitational hula hoop that is interlocked with Earth’s.

As the Earth and the moon swing around a shared point like two tango dancers pulling back from one another, Earth’s hula hoop deforms, shrinking in the middle but expanding at the sides. Water on the side nearest to the moon is pulled toward it, deforming the sphere to create more of a football shape to match Earth’s funky hula hoop.

Meanwhile, on the oppo-

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site side of the planet, water is attempting to move away from the moon, but is overtaken by inertia that pushes it into a high tide. This makes low tides occur where Earth’s hula hoop is squished, and high tides where the hula hoop is pulled out.

Since the Earth is spinning and both bodies are constantly moving, the tides will shift, rise and fall.

If you’re thinking that this must be an incredible source of energy, you’d be absolutely right. These are planetary forces that are constantly moving all of the oceans. Imagine if we had a safe way to convert some of that energy into power that we could use to illuminate our homes, power our computers or even travel to work and back.

Speaking of huge amounts of energy, have you ever wondered why the surface of the moon looks a little bit like swiss cheese? Those are all impact craters from a mixture of things: comets, asteroids and debris from the very beginning of the moon’s formation.

An interesting fact is that the moon is tidally locked with Earth. That means the same side of the moon is always facing the Earth. In fact, we had absolutely no idea what the other side of the moon looked like until 1959, when the Soviet Union’s Luna 3 mission beamed back the very first images of the far side of the moon.

The reason this is interesting is because every single impact crater that has been witnessed through history has been caused either by debris from Earth, or by fast-moving ice and rocks that narrowly missed Earth to impact the moon.

On Earth, our atmosphere and the water trapped within it erodes craters over time. On the

An astronaut on the surface of the moon with Earth in the background. Photo courtesy NASA.

moon, those craters are preserved until they’re turned into even larger craters from bigger impacts, essentially giving us a snapshot of celestial history in our backyard — all within clear view of our naked eyes.

Is your curiosity about the moon piqued? Join the library on Saturday, June 11 at 8 p.m. at City Beach for a moon viewing party. This is a great opportunity to look at the moon through

binoculars and a telescope to get a better view of our celestial neighbor. I’m even prepping some fun experiments for the kids as they get to see what happens when we emulate an impact on the moon’s surface.

Keep an eye out for a reminder next week, as we look at some more fun and interesting facts about the moon.

Stay curious, 7B.

Random Corner ?

Don’t know much about floods • In terms of the number of lives lost and property damage, flooding is the most common natural hazard in the United States. Floods can occur at any time of the year, in any part of the country and at any time of day or night.

• Floodplains provide about 25% of all land-based ecosystem benefits to humans, yet they represent just 2% of the Earth’s land surface. Naturally frequent flooding makes floodplains the lifeblood to surrounding areas by providing clean water and wildlife habitat, among many other benefits.

• Wetlands in the U.S. save more than $30 billion in annual flood damage repair costs. Wetlands act as natural sponges, storing and slowly releasing flood waters after peak flood flows have passed.

• During the past 50 years, Americans have seen a 20% increase in the heaviest downpours.

With a changing climate, we know that the size of the nation’s floodplains will grow by 40-45% over the next 90 years.

We can help!

• Damages from flood losses have increased to an average $10 billion per year.

• About 17% of all the urban land in the United States is located in the “100-year” or high-risk flood zone.

• Over the course of a 30-year mortgage, homeowners in the 100year floodplain have a one-in-four chance or greater of being flooded — twice the probability of fire damage.

• Flood mitigation practices that reduce the loss of life and damages to properties provide $5 in benefits for every dollar invested.

• An estimated 100,000 miles of levees crisscross the nation, but there is no definitive accounting for the exact number or condition of those levees. Greater than 40% of the U.S. population lives in counties with levees and many of those were designed decades ago for agricultural purposes but now have homes and businesses located behind them.

COMMUNITY

KRFY hosts membership Northside Fire District hosting information forum week and Saturday live drive

By Ben Olson Reader Staff The Northside Fire District will host three informational forums, including question-and-answer sessions, beginning Tuesday, June 7 at the Northside Fire District Station 1, located at 437 Cedar Ave. in Ponderay. The second forum will be Wednesday, June 8 and will take place at the Oden Hall, 143 Sunnyside Road, near Sunnyside. The final forum will be held Thursday, June 9 at the Northside Fire District Station 4, 64 Samuels Road, in Samuels.

Hosted by Northside Fire District Commissioner Vernon Roof, the forums — all of which will run from 6:30 p.m.8:30 p.m. — will explore the past, present and future of the fire district, as well as take questions directly from the audience.

If you are unable to attend, you can email your questions or comments to vroof@ northsidefire.org.

“The most important thing is to inform and educate the public and citizens of the Northside Fire District on the history, capabilities and future plans for the fire district,” Roof stated.

The forums will also highlight the origins of the district as an all-volunteer organization, leading up to the present day combination department, which is comprised of both full-time and volunteer firefighters.

“Many people don’t know what type of response to expect when they dial 911 to report a fire, medical, public assist or vehicle accident,” Roof stated. “Come to this meeting and find out about the different levels of response to a particular emergency.”

There will also be tips and advice offered on wildland fire preparedness, home fire safety practices and emergency medical circumstances.

The forum is free to attend and open to all. Visit northsidefire.org for more information.

By Reader Staff

Panhandle Community Radio is calling on all listeners in the region to support local, noncommercial community radio. The station has been broadcasting at 88.5 FM for more than 10 years, bringing local groups and individuals into its studio and onto the airwaves — as well as presenting nationally syndicated entertainment and informational programming unique in the area.

Once a year, the station turns over its broadcast to the mission of sustaining its own operations, and that time has come once again for its annual membership drive.

Every day through Friday, June 3 will feature a special morning show at 8 a.m. with guests affiliated with the radio station — from volunteer DJs to local businesses that underwrite the station to nationally syndicated program hosts. A second hour will feature live music and entertainment from the studio in downtown Sandpoint.

Meanwhile KRFY volunteers will be preparing behind the scenes for the Eighty-Eight Five Live Drive — a full day of live radio entertainment broadcast Saturday, June 4 from the Little Panida Theater at 302 N. First

Ave., adjacent to the historic Panida Theater.

Live music from local musicians Brian & Sam, Patrice Webb, Dave Hussey,and RFB will be taking place every odd hour from 10 a.m. until 6 p.m. On the even hours, live entertainment will include a radio drama from the Lake Pend Oreille Repertory and a trivia game show to determine the KRFY Trivia King or Queen for 2022, presented by the Bonner County Historical Society and Museum.

All events are free and open to the public — all are welcome to come to the Little Theater and observe (or participate in) a live radio broadcast. Those not wishing to attend in person can listen at 88.5 FM or stream the broadcast on krfy.org.

Any financial contribution, regardless of amount, establishes the donor as a member of nonprofit KRFY. The station expects to incur new equipment expenses far above its normal operating expenses this summer, as necessary changes are made to the transmitter and antenna in Ponderay, making donations especially critical to keeping KRFY on the air.

“Any contribution to the station is greatly appreciated; with enough support, KRFY will be broadcasting clearer than ever throughout the region for decades to come,” the station said in a news release.

Become a member anytime by going to krfy.org and clicking on the “Donate” button, or call the station at 208-265-2992. Leave a message, but operators will be standing by on Saturday, June 4 all day to take calls.

Celebrate National Trails Day with Idaho Trails Association

By Reader Staff The nonprofit organization Idaho Trails Association is encouraging the public to get out and enjoy National Trails Day on Saturday, June 4.

ITA will offer several ways to celebrate trails throughout Idaho, including hosting four trail maintenance projects across the state — including on the Mickinnick Trail in Sandpoint.

The volunteer crew will cut out logs blocking the path, do tread work, improve drainage and clear brush from the trail, which gains 2,200 feet from the valley bottom to reach a viewpoint far above the city.

No experience is necessary to volunteer.

Visit idahotrailsassociation.org/projects to sign up.

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FEATURE

Conservation: From the Timber Wars to collaboration

How the ‘Baby Boom’ and the suburbs set the stage for the ‘Timber Wars’

By Zach Hagadone Reader Staff

The so-called “Timber Wars” are generally described as having occurred in the 1980s and ’90s. It was a period of conflict waged in both the woods and the courtroom between lumber companies and environmentalists. The federal government was stuck in the middle, sometimes regarded as the enemy, sometimes an ally.

The reality is more complex. The “wars” are better understood as a series of battles between a constellation of competing and complementary interests. The involved parties jockeyed for economic, political and often social positions.

In North Idaho that meant everyone, to varying degrees, had a stake in the conflict.

Some “won,” some “lost,” yet all used the woods as an avatar for their visions of the landscape. The so-called “West” and its attendant lands were never “won;” they’ve been constantly contested and still are today.

This is the story of how the United States navigated notions of conserving its primary commodity — land and the things that grow on it — while leveraging them into its mid-20th century ascendancy, and the bitter conflicts over how that commodity should be managed in a flashpoint known as the “Timber Wars.”

‘Getting out the cut’ By 1906, about 23,000 square miles of Idaho lands had been absorbed into “forest reserves” — a policy initiated by then-President Theodore Roosevelt and the precursor to the National Forest System.

That same year, Idaho Sen. Weldon Heyburn denounced the forest reserves from his seat in Congress. On behalf of the powerful mining and lumber interests of his home constituency in the Silver Valley of North Idaho, Heyburn argued: “It is men we want, not trees.”

A year later, in 1907, Roosevelt’s chief forester Gifford Pinchot — head of the newly created U.S. Forest Service — traveled to Coeur d’Alene to hear the complaints of Heyburn’s supporters in person.

He told them why it was necessary to conserve the nation’s timberlands amid an era of “cut-and-run” logging practices, wherein 12 /

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Courtesy photo. timber cutting operations both big and small “skinned the land” and moved on with no thought beyond immediate profit.

“Forests are disappearing so rapidly that it is estimated that none will remain in 30 or 40 years unless action is taken by the government to protect them,” he said, warning that, “we are rushing with railroad speed toward a timber famine worse than any coal famine that we have ever experience or are in danger of soon.”

The timber famine didn’t materialize. Attitudes toward forest conservation changed dramatically from Pinchot’s days through the 1930s and early-’40s. During the first two decades of the 20th century the mentality was to “cut and run.” But by the immediate pre-World War II era, that

notion had been replaced by increasingly complex ideas about the balance between industrial, recreational and ecological uses for timberlands.

Meanwhile, “conservation” as both a term and a goal had transformed from a lot of “moonshine,” as one former Idaho governor put it in the first decades of the century, to a critical piece of policy that underpinned everything that happened in the forests.

However, as with so many other aspects of American life, everything changed with the country’s emergence from both the Great Depression and the war.

According to Adam Sowards, a professor of environmental history who also serves as director of the Pacific Northwest Studies Program at the University of Idaho,

by the end of World War II in 1945, most of the big timber companies had either exhausted their private land holdings or pretty well cut through them. At the same time, service members were returning from the battlefields and starting families in record numbers — the “Baby Boom” was on, and that meant a spike in new home building.

While the cities expanded in population, the real growth occurred in outlying areas, as an increasingly mobile and affluent population looked for and found its domestic bliss in ever-expanding suburbs.

“Building those houses required timber,” Sowards said, but with the lumber companies short on their privately owned supply, “the federal forests became the preferred site of our source of lumber.”

There was debate about the wisdom of dipping into the federal forest reserves — by then established as National Forests — which Sowards described as an argument for an “almost socialized timber policy, where federal regulations would also guide private timberlands as well.”

Those voices included Robert Marshall, the “Bob” in the Bob Marshall Wilderness Complex in western Montana. His contribution to the Franklin D. Roosevelt-era “Copeland Report” (so named for New York Sen. Royal Copeland, who commissioned the study) presented a radically different view of public land management.

Marshall’s policy recommendations were truly revolutionary, calling for 10% of forestlands in the U.S. to be set aside as recreational areas. He also pushed for putting millions of acres of U.S. Forest Service roadless areas into a perpetual wilderness or “primitive area” designation, and federal oversight of timber harvesting on both public and private lands. “[I]n the ’40s, there’s a surprisingly vigorous debate about whether that’s the right direction to go,” Sowards said of harvesting on federal forests. Meanwhile, “there’s a big push to cut more trees — they talked about ‘getting out the cut,’ which was sort of a catchphrase for that.”

In Bonner County, the renewed vigor in the timber market had no greater champion than Jim Parsons, who wrote the “Outdoors Notebook” column in the Sandpoint News Bulletin throughout the 1950s. His articles, again and again, circled back to the idea that private lumber companies should have total

< see TIMBER, Page 13 >

< TIMBER con’t from Page 12 > access to public lands. In his mind, “conservation” was an empty platitude compared to “getting out the cut.”

“There are some strange aspects to the forestry side of the conservation picture,” Parsons wrote in the Oct. 18, 1951 edition of the News Bulletin. “Even here in north Idaho we still have many people who cling to the old wood-famine philosophy that the nation is running out of timber. …

“The ill-informed fail to recognize, first, that trees are Nature’s one renewable resource; and second, that the lumbering industry generally, along with a growing army of farmers, is doing a commendable job of forest management, which has as its goal a continuing supply of timber for generations to come.”

A year later, in November 1952, Parsons wrote, “A majority of Idahoans, I believe, would like to see both our state and our state’s private enterprise have major control of our national resources, rather than getting dictums from some Washington swivel-chair operator who has never been west of Notre Dame’s football field.

“A case in point is our forests. Some, not all, but some high-ranking government officials have been preaching timber famine for years and among them, you can number the secretaries of interior and agriculture,” he continued. “They have led a very considerable number of people, both in forested and non-forested areas, to the belief that if we are to ‘conserve’ timber resources, then we actually must preserve the trees on the stump.”

Parsons regarded that not only as “an untenable position, it verges on being silly.”

Rather, he argued that “good management means regarding trees as a crop, protecting them during the growing period, then harvesting them when they become mature.”

What’s more, he railed against federal regulations of forest lands as “socialistic.”

In June 1956, Parsons delivered a full-throated denunciation of conservation itself: “Generally speaking, everyone is for conservation just as he is against sin. Trouble is that all hands haven’t agreed on just what conservation is. … To say that conservation is wise management of resources for the benefit of the greatest number is also without meaning, for there is no general agreement on what constitutes benefits.”

Parsons may not have known it, but the views he expounded in his column to the few thousand readers in the Sandpoint News Bulletin in the 1950s echoed a strain of thinking about timberlands that would remain economically and politically powerful into the present day.

Quoting from National Wildlife Federation Executive Director Ernest Swift, Parsons wrote in 1956, but just as well could have been said in 2022: “Public ownership of resources is often used as the horrible example of socialism when said ownership interferes with grabbing a fast buck. On the other hand, the welfare state as it now exists in our midst

becomes the acme of humanitarianism; but just how much soil erosion has been stopped by a Social Security number, how many forest fires put out by unemployment compensation; how much sludge has been dredged from our rivers by a minimum wage law?”

Whatever ground may have been gained by the conservation ethic in the 1930s and early ’40s was being rapidly eroded in the immediate post-war period by a new drive to feed the national hunger for timber from the reserves of the public forests. It wasn’t “cut and run,” but “run to cut,” and would set the stage for escalating conflict in the following three decades.

‘Doing everything for everybody’ Not everyone was as enthused as Parsons about transforming government-owned forestlands into “crops” to be harvested in service of the suburban building boom. The same year that Parsons penned his screed against conservation as a noble idea lacking substance, work began on legislation that would become the Wilderness Act of 1964.

Eight years of compromise led to its passage and signature into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson, though the effort was spurred by outrage. Some adherents of the “Wilderness Movement” in the 1930s regarded the law as an unwarranted reclassification of “primitive” or “wild areas” into merchantable timberlands.

According to Sowards, the Forest Service, in its willingness to accommodate lumber companies, had embarked on a wide-ranging policy of opening fringe areas of previously protected forest areas to cutting.

“The Forest Service tried to say, ‘This part is currently in a primitive area but we’re going to cut out this river valley where there’s all this merchantable timber.’

That starts happening in the 1950s most prominently, and local groups get up in arms about this,” he said.

“At the same time there’s that pressure to protect some lands as permanently out of the way for any sort of commercial harvesting, the Forest Service is ramping up the intensification of its management.”

That was a recipe for a political collision. Idaho Sen. Frank Church, for whom the Frank Church River of No Return Wilderness area is named, partnered with then-Minnesota Sen. Hubert Humphrey — and later vice president under Johnson — to resurrect the conservation ethic of an earlier era with a proposal in spring 1959 to establish a Youth Conservation Corps.

Modeled on the Franklin D. Roosevelt-era Civilian Conservation Corps, the Church-Humphrey proposal envisioned “a smaller and more education-oriented corps,” as Church described it in a March 12, 1959 article in the Sandpoint News Bulletin.

“The record points out that Idaho’s part in the Civilian Conservation Corps was a major contribution to the success of that

splendid program in natural and human resource conservation,” Church said, adding that the proposed YCC “would again see Idaho in the van of those states affording the training ground.”

He and Humphrey wanted 150,000 young men to lend their hands to “improving timber stands, building forest trails and roads, constructing earthen dams, rebuilding game cover, improving campgrounds, fighting forest fires and reseeding deteriorated rangelands,” just as their fathers and uncles had a generation earlier.

“There are many monuments to the CCC in Idaho. They include vast healthy stands of timber that were protected from disease and fire; trails and roads into the wilderness; dams and seeded stream banks that have protected against erosion; bridges, camp grounds and facilities; and not to be forgotten, the enriched lives of men who served and contributed,” Church said at the time.

As with Marshall’s idealism in the “Copeland Report” in the 1940s, the YCC project fizzled amid the mood of national expansion in the late ’50s.

Although former-First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt wrote in favor of the Church-Humphrey YCC proposal, testimony on the bill in May 1959 ran against its necessity.

According to a record of the hearings, American Forestry Association Chief Forester Kenneth B. Pomeroy declined to testify in favor, writing, “The American Forestry Association can only consider this proposal from the standpoint of forest conservation. From that viewpoint it appears to be a Depression measure. Such is not the case today.

“If the national economy should decline to a point where public make-work measures are in order, then our association would recommend that the program be carried out through the established public land agencies.”

There was no appetite for the aspirational conservation thinking of the previous decades. The late-1950s and 1960s were to be an era of national ascendance, built on the stumps of the country’s public lands.

The Wilderness Act, however, did put in place meaningful protections for forestlands, accompanied by a subsequent flurry of legislation in the ’60s such as the National Environmental Policy Act and National Forest Management Act. However, that period of intensive conservation-oriented lawmaking still couldn’t outweigh the drive to “get out the cut.”

Forest Service timber sales increased and harvests continued to go up on public lands.

Sowards framed that duality as indicative of a wider trend in U.S. policy amid the Cold War. “I think there’s a feeling at this time, from the ’50s through the ’70s, that managers think they can do everything for every-

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< TIMBER con’t from Page 13 > body,” he said. “Looking back that seems super naive, but I think if you look more broadly at American society at that time, we think, ‘Hey we can beat the Russians, we can beat the Vietnamese, we can put people on the moon, we can do anything.’ And I think the conservation version of that is we can have full timber harvests, we can have wilderness protection, we can have high use of National Parks, we can have good rangeland for domestic animals.’

“There’s a belief that we can do all of these things,” he added. “The evidence on the land becomes harder and harder to ignore.”

‘People are not very predictable’ Clear-cutting is ugly. There’s no way around it — when an entire mountainside is denuded, it looks like nothing other than a scar. Even at a distance of miles, the results of a clear cut are clearly brutal. The practice had been in place for about a century by the mid-1970s, frequently employed on lands owned by railroad companies, which exemplified the “cut-and-run” method that typified late-19th and early-20th century lumbering.

Opponents of the practice found a way to challenge it in court, leveraging a hitherto obscure piece of legislation known as the Administrative Procedures Act of 1946. In essence, the law represented a legal shift

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allowing the public to formally challenge federal policies in ways they hadn’t been able to previously.

Two lawsuits in western Montana and West Virginia related to massive clear-cutting served as a hinge in the longtime debate over how timber should — or shouldn’t — be harvested.

“What results out of these lawsuits is the National Forest Management Act of 1976, which hamstrings the Forest Service a little bit,” Sowards said. “It doesn’t outright ban clear cuts but clear cuts come out of that campaign much less popular than they had been. It became harder for those to happen on federal lands — not impossible, but harder.”

That’s one outcome, but in more finegrained detail, Jay O’Laughlin, a nationally-recognized “academic forester,” in his words, and professor emeritus of forestry and policy sciences at the University of Idaho, said the National Forest Management Act is “at the core” of the “Timber Wars.”

According to O’Laughlin, the National Forest Management Act outlined what could be done on the land, but not specifically what could be done “on an acre of ground.”

Local conditions had to be taken into account and public involvement became required in the planning process. That was the critical piece: public involvement.

However, there were unintended consequences.

“The National Forest Management Act

also says you need to reforest these areas after you harvest them,” he said. “That has in a perverse kind of way continued the emphasis on clear-cutting. The National Forest Management Act did not ban clear-cutting but it limited clear-cutting to 40 acres.

Before that happened, clear cuts covered in some cases thousands of acres.”

Gone were the “skinned-over” tracts of stump fields. But by some interpretations, the reforestation requirement and the 40acre limitation made the treatment of trees as a crop the most cost-efficient way to harvest timber.

Meanwhile, by the 1970s, the glorified expertise of Cold War managerial culture — which purported to be able to “do everything for everybody” — was being confronted with the true complexity of the environmental, political, economic and social systems it was supposed to be “managing.”

“You’re talking about 193 million acres here, just with the National Forests. So that’s going to be messy,” O’Laughlin said.

“This is the thing about forestry and why it’s so interesting: Every acre of ground is different from every other acre. Every stand of timber is unique in many, many ways, and so it’s hard to generalize about things that are so fundamentally different.”

That messiness was navigated by giving public interest groups a pathway to the table along with the “specialists,” who had previously acted with more or less impunity.

“Up to this point, and before these things get implemented, forest managers have a whole lot of discretion,” Sowards said, “and that erodes a little bit over these decades that are coming. That’s tough for people who used to be able to make the decisions and just make it happen, and now there are forms and there’s ecological studies and you have to talk to people and people are not very predictable, so it becomes a whole lot harder process to manage.”

Into the mix as well, the Endangered Species Act of 1973 — part of the raft of environmental legislation during the Johnson-Nixon eras — would come to serve as a powerful lever in the conflicts to come.

“All these things sort of come to a head in lots of different places, but most symbolically in the Pacific Northwest in the 1980s around the northern spotted owl,” Sowards said.

And it’s the owl — and more so what it represented — around which the “Timber Wars” revolved.

This article is another installment in a multi-part series supported by a grant from the Idaho Humanities Council and sponsored by Friends of the Scotchman Peaks Wilderness. The next piece in this series will be published in the Thursday, June 9 edition of the Reader. For more information on this series, visit scotchmanpeaks.org.

Off the wall in paradise

Sandpoint artist Jacob Greiff’s art on display at Monarch Mountain Coffee

By Ben Olson Reader Staff

You’ll probably never see any pristine lake scenes or frolicking deer in Jacob Greiff’s artwork. The 21-year-old Sandpoint artist prides himself on creating paintings that live well off the beaten track.

Greiff’s paintings are currently on display through the end of June at Monarch Mountain Coffee, located at 119 N. First Ave. There are more than 30 pieces on display at the downtown Sandpoint coffee shop and many more in his portfolio, said Greiff, whose work features creatures of many types, populating portraits and iconic paintings brimming with social commentary.

“I like the fringes of society,” Greiff told the Reader. “I get a lot of inspiration listening to people’s stories who are drug addicts or have harder lives and are living on skid row. I also get a lot from music. I’ll listen to a song and say, ‘Holy shit, I gotta paint this.’ I’ll see an image and try my best to paint it.”

There is no all-encompassing theme behind Greiff’s work, but many of his pieces employ a similar style to the unflinching grittiness of early-20th century German artist Otto Dix and the subversive cartoons of American underground comix pioneer Robert Crumb, both of whom delved into taboo subjects and risque satire. In the vein of Dix and Crumb, Greiff’s paintings focus on the grotesque and distorted to draw out deeper meanings, at the same time serving as a counterpoint to much of the nature-inspired art seen around the region.

Greiff said he got into art at a young age as a way to manage his nystagmus, an eye condition he’s had all his life.

“The best way to summarize it is, my normal vision is how drunk people see,” he said. “When you get drunk, you get nystagmus. That’s what the cops are looking for when they do the pen test. I’m super blind and my eyes constantly shake.”

As a kid, Greiff said he often felt ostracized by the condition, which opened the door to creating art.

“It was hard to make friends, so I’d always be drawing,” he said. “To be poetic about it, I was making my own friends. I was drawing Mario and monsters and stuff.

I was always drawing because it was the only thing I could control how I could see.”

With practice — and a lot of hard work

— Greiff found he had an artistic voice that differed from the subject matter he saw typifying much of the work produced in Sandpoint, where he was born and raised.

“Anyone can paint trees,” he said.

“Anyone can look up a Bob Ross video and watch it. I’ve definitely done that. I guess I just want to stand out, especially here in Sandpoint. There’s so much amenity art here. Everyone just wants a picture of the lake because that’s what’s going to sell. I don’t want to do that.”

Like many artists born in small resort towns in the West, Grieff has a love/hate relationship with his hometown.

“For my interests and my path, Sandpoint allows me to create art because there’s nothing to do,” he said. “You either do three things if you live in Sandpoint: you’re rich... you like nature... or you become a drug addict or alcoholic. That’s pretty much it.”

Monarch Mountain Coffee owner Sherrie Wilson said the coffee shop has displayed local artists’ work for many years, but since moving into a new space on First Avenue, she has increased the art shows to last 60 days each.

“We selected Jacob’s for display because of his exuberance for art,” Wilson told the

Jacob Greiff stands before several of his art pieces on display at Monarch Mountain Coffee. Photo by Ben Olson.

Reader. “He has been a regular at Monarch Mountain Coffee and I don’t remember a visit that we didn’t chat about his painting, what he is currently working on and how much he enjoys painting and growing himself as an artist. I expect one day we will all be kicking ourselves for not snapping up his signed originals when we had the chance and we will brag that we knew him when he was just getting started.”

Greiff’s process isn’t set in stone, he said, but fluctuates with whatever inspiration strikes at the moment.

“Sometimes I just start painting and what comes out, comes out,” he said.

“That’s what true art is to me; just letting things out in the present moment.”

Check out Greiff’s work at Monarch Mountain Coffee (119 N. First Ave.), where it will continue to hang until June 30. For artists seeking an outlet, stop by or call the coffee shop and make sure to have 20-30 ready-to-display pieces. They are currently scheduling shows for 2023.

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FOOD

The Sandpoint Eater Chowder chatter

By Marcia Pilgeram Reader Columnist

The far side of three long-delayed, back-to-back international trips feels indescribable. Some long days were filled with uncertainty in these past two years. It seemed no one would ever travel again, the obstacles being far too impossible. The weight of a world without travel was dark and daunting; the load at times was almost too heavy to carry.

Then, borders slowly started reopening, and I was able to put travel plans back into action; but, truthfully, it was half hearted. I fully expected my efforts to fail me yet again.

But, finally, the world of travel happened, and the green grass of Ireland was firmly under our happy, wandering feet.

What are the perks of escorting two groups of ladies around the very same itinerary a week apart? First, it gave me a chance to make purchases I’d hesitated about the prior week and, more importantly, I returned to restaurants to savor favorite foods I’d relished the week prior.

It was not an easy task, but after myriad bowls of traditional Irish seafood chowder, I feel well qualified to announce that I found the best, blue ribbon-worthy seafood chowder in all of Ireland. Not at the renowned Ballymaloe Manor or one of the many Michelin-starred restaurants of Ireland, but at the Royal Spa Hotel in Lisdoonvarna. It’s a small, unpretentious hotel right across the street from the infamous Matchmaker Bar. 16 /

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The traditional Matchmaking Festival, well over 150 years old, takes place in this small spa town every September. Thousands of romantic (and hopeful) souls from all over the world gather for music, dancing and the traditional craic — that is, “good fun and conversation.”

After a wind-chilling visit to the idyllic Cliffs of Moher, our driver Luke suggested a quick lunch stop in Lisdoonvarna. My first visit there was more than a dozen years ago, and I was all in for a trip down memory lane (even though we were a few months too early to score a potential date or two, arranged by the village matchmaker).

Luke drove our mini-coach through the village to point out

a handful of pubs and eateries.

I stayed at the Royal on my last visit, so it seemed logical to return for a light lunch, and I chose the seafood chowder and brown bread. The chowder broth was rich and creamy, with a faint aroma of the fresh Irish sea. It was filled with mussels, clams and prawns, and firm chunks of hake and salmon.

Seafood chowder used to be considered “poor man’s food,” and many a fisherman’s wife used the leftover bits and pieces of fish — along with fresh cream and homegrown root vegetables — to season the broth. As a result, seafood chowder is an Irish menu staple.

Home cooks and professional chefs take enormous pride in preparing their chowder, often

touting a secret ingredient that makes theirs the best.

An annual “best chowder in Ireland” competition takes place each year in the seaside fishing village of Kinsale, County Cork.

It started many years ago as a single-day event and became so popular it’s now grown to a major, four-day event where Irish chefs vie for the title of the best chowder in all of Ireland.

Though recipes vary by ingredients and technique, most Irish chefs agree that good chowder starts with fresh cream and wine. Fish and seafood ingredients can vary based on “catches of the day.” Most chowders also include vegetable components that are either cooked and pureed or diced into a fine mirepoix (lightly cooked

Irish Seafood Chowder

onions, celery and carrots).

The broth is prepared first and cooked low and slow until the flavors develop. The seafood is cooked separately and added at the last minute along with the broth from the shellfish.

Rich and creamy Irish butter, slathered over traditional brown bread and served alongside the chowder, can be enjoyed anytime from lunch to supper and makes for a sublime meal.

Memories of my favorite bowl of chowder continue to dance in my head and leave me with one thought: I need a fisherman in my life (or perhaps another trip to Ireland). Meanwhile, I (and you) can count on some great ingredients from Flying Fish Company and Thunder’s Catch. Sláinte!

Makes 6-8 servings

Serve with brown bread and Kerrygold butter, rice, a nice stout or white wine.

INGREDIENTS: • 1 ½ pounds of mixed fish (white and pink fish, smoked and unsmoked), cut into 1 inch chunks • 1 cup fresh prawns • 2 cups mussels, debearded • 2 cups small clams • ½ cup cooked crab meat • 3 cups milk • 2 cups heavy cream • 3 cups fish stock • 2 potatoes, peeled and finely diced • 1 onion, peeled and finely chopped • 1 stalk celery, finely chopped • 1 carrot, finely chopped • ½ cup of wine • 1 tbsp finely chopped fresh parsley • 1 tbsp fresh minced dill (save a bit for garnish) • 1 tbsp flour • 1 tbsp butter • Salt and pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS: Shell the prawns, dry them, and set aside.

Chop the potatoes into fine cubes and finely dice the onion, carrot and celery. Place all four ingredients together in a saucepan, fry them in some butter on medium heat for about 2 minutes, then cover with the stock and bring to a simmer for about 10 minutes, or until potatoes are soft.

Put the fish in a pan and add the milk.

Bring to a simmer and cook on low heat for 10 minutes until the fish is cooked.

Strain the milk into a deep bowl, put the fish aside and keep warm.

Place the mussels and clams in a large (preheated) hot frypan and add ½ cup white wine; cover, shake a few times and simmer until the shells open (discard any that don’t open).

Add the strained milk to the potatoes, onions and celery, and bring to a simmer. Then add the cream and stir well.

Add parsley and dill (if you wish to puree, now is the time, with an emulsifier stick).

Make a paste with 1 tbsp of butter and 1 tbsp of flour, and add to the simmering mixture. Stir until it starts to thicken. Taste the sauce and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Add the fish, prawns and crab meat to the soup. Add the mussels and clams in their broth (and shells), and ladle them into bowls. Garnish with a sprinkle of dill and a wedge of lemon.

FOOD & DRINK

‘Pickles are a safe bet’

The Pickled Kitchen reopens on First Avenue

By Zach Hagadone Reader Staff It’s hard to understand how the phrase “in a pickle” came to signify an unpleasant situation. There’s nothing unpleasant whatsoever about a pickle — or anything that’s been pickled, for that matter. Need proof: Visit The Pickled Kitchen in its new digs at 334 N. First Ave. in the heart of downtown Sandpoint.

Owners Clarita and Cameron Thrall opened The Pickled Kitchen three years ago on the second level of the Cedar Street Bridge — “a great place to be and start out,” Clarita said, “but we just wanted our own space.”

However, as anyone who’s observed the Sandpoint area real estate market over the past few years knows, finding a space — whether commercial or residential — is harder than it sounds.

When the Thralls heard about the vacancy at 334 N. First Ave., the former MickDuff’s location, they knew that’s where they wanted to be.

Cameron called it a “rollercoaster,” while Clarita noted that they were one of 30 applicants vying for the enviable storefront.

Halfway through February they found out they’d been approved, but it wasn’t until the end of March that the paperwork was in order and they could get to work making the space retail ready — that included everything from demolition and repairs to putting on the fine touches.

Doing nearly all the work themselves — with some help from family — the Thralls reopened The Pickled Kitchen on April 29, just in time for Lost in the ’50s, which is always Sandpoint’s unofficial kickoff to the summer season.

“We did this in about a month,” Clarita said, nodding to the newly revamped space, with its open, airy feel, high ceilings and ample natural light from both skylights and large street-facing windows.

The centerpiece of the shop is a collection of metal racks stacked with rows of pickled items — including everything from traditional pickles to pickled snow peas, pickled carrots, pickled mushrooms, pickled okra, pickled asparagus, onions and garlic, even pickled Brussels sprouts and quail eggs (in both mild and spicy options).

All that’s in addition to a wide range of olives, including garlic- and habanero-stuffed varieties; olive oils from Tunisia and balsamic vinegars from Italy; hot sauces and seasonings; jams, dips and spreads; and honey — the latter sourced from Priest River-based Bear Paw Honey, whose

flavors like Northeast Oregon wildflower, mint, buckwheat, blueberry and blackberry come from harvesting hives that have been placed next to their various crops.

“You really can pickle anything,” said Clarita, adding that her favorites in the store are the pickled Brussels sprouts, snow peas and okra.

Cameron said that the popularity of pickled products has increased over time in large part because they’re cost effective and reduce food waste. His go-to products in the shop are the garlic- and habanero-stuffed olives and, above all else, the smoky mozzarella garlic dip.

(My own 7-year-old daughter is an avid fan of the “pickle on a stick,” which is precisely what it sounds like: a huge pickle on a stick, which can also be paired with a number of toppings and costs $2.50. My daughter calls it a “pick-cicle.”)

The Thralls carry as much local product as they can — and plan to add more — while the pickling and packaging is done by a third-party that specializes in small-batch production.

Cameron said he’s keen to incorporate coffee to the shop, and is working with Athol-based KN Roasters. The Thralls are also open to local picklers bringing in their products; but, of course, they have to be approved first by health authorities.

“Now that we have more space, it’s nice to be able to have more local products,” Clarita said, while Cameron added that local products simply sell better, too.

“They want it to say ‘North Idaho’ on it,” he said.

At first glance, a retail space geared toward pickled goods might seem ultra-niche, but Clarita said The Pickled Kitchen’s offerings are perfectly situated to serve any number of gourmet purposes, including charcuterie boards, martini bars and appetizers — perfect for improving the spread at any special event or occasion.

“I always love food as a gift,” she added.

The Thralls also know just how well artisanal provisions actually sell. Both were raised in Florence, Ore., where Clarita’s parents own and operate three olive stores under the moniker All About Olives. Growing up, Clarita, who is now 30, managed the storefront and saw the potential.

“But I love pickles,” she said. “I was the kid who always took people’s pickles off their plates. My mom used to give me a jar of pickles for Christmas.”

She and Cameron, 32, moved to Wyoming for a time, where Cameron drove a garbage truck in Jackson. They contemplated opening The Pickled Kitchen there, but

Cameron and Clarita Thrall at The Pickled Kitchen on First Ave. Photo by Zach Hagadone. retail space was at an even greater premium.

Visiting friends in North Idaho, they also thought about Coeur d’Alene, but found it too big and busy.

Coming to Sandpoint, the Thralls had “the experience” of crossing the Long Bridge, seeing the mountains and experiencing downtown.

“We were already planning on opening this somewhere — we just didn’t quite know where,” Clarita said, but added that she and Cameron knew from the get-go that

Sandpoint was it.

“We opened pretty much as soon as we moved here,” she said.

Looking ahead, the Thralls said they plan to further pursue coffee, as well as add kitchenware at some point. Monthly events may be on the horizon, with tastings and potentially live music.

For now, though, they want to keep it as simple as possible while they settle into their new First Avenue space.

“Pickles are a safe bet,” Cameron said.

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events THURSDAY, June 2

Artist Reception for Jeff Rosenkrans 5-7pm @ Pend d’Oreille Winery Live Music w/ Brian Jacobs 6-8pm @ The Back Door Karaoke at the Tervan 8pm-closing @ Tervan Live Music w/ Kevin Dorin 7-9pm @ The Back Door Live Music w/ Bright Moments 5-8pm @ PO Winery

June 2 - 9, 2022

Jewelry Reception for Mary Gayle Young 5-7pm @ Pend d’Oreille Winery Live Music w/ Kevin Dorin 6-8pm @ MickDuff’s Beer Hall

FriDAY, June 3

Grand Opening of Little Carnegie Hall 6pm @ Music Conservatory of Sandpoint “Evening in Madrid,” with a ribbon cutting at 6pm, concert doors open at 7pm to show off the new concert hall and the feature presentation at 8pm. Tickets $55 Live Music w/ Devon Wade 6:30-9:30pm @ Beer Hall

SATURDAY, June 4

2022 KNPS Native Plant Sale 9am-1pm @ Arboretum at Lakeview Park Browse and buy locally grown native perennials, shrugs and trees from Cedar Mtn. Perennials. More fun items available KRFY Membership Live Drive 10am-6pm @ Little Panida Theater Music by Brian and Sam, Patrice Webb, Dave Hussey and more. Live radio drama, trivia, open to all. Supports KRFY Grand Opening of Little Carnegie Hall 11am @ Music Conservatory of Sandpoint Free Saturday Market Concert, followed by artist exhibit at 3pm hosted by POAC Live Music w/ The Other White Meat 6:30-9:30pm @ MickDuff’s Beer Hall Sandpoint Farmers’ Market • 9am-1pm @ Farmin Park Fresh produce, artisan goods, live music by Heat Speak from Spokane Trail Ambassador Info Session • 4-5pm @ Utara Brewing Learn about keeping goats and hikers safe as a Scotchman Peaks Trail Ambassador National Trail Day Celebration • 5-8pm @ Utara Brewing Join FSPW for a crosscut saw demo and celebration of local trails. Donation match!

Live Music w/ One Street Over 5-8pm @ Pend d’Oreille Winery Free First Saturday at the Museum 10am-2pm @ Bonner Co. History Museum The Museum will reveal their new cabin exhibit and curator Heather Upton will give a speech on the cabin’s history at 11am. Sponsors Kim Keaton and Julie Reister-Keaton Karaoke at the Tervan 8pm-closing @ Tervan Live Music w/ Bright Moments Jazz 7-9pm @ The Back Door Live Music w/ Ken Mayginnes 5:30-7:30pm @ Drift (Hope)

SunDAY, June 5

Sandpoint Chess Club 9am @ Evans Brothers Coffee Karaoke at the Tervan 8pm-closing @ Tervan Spring Serenade Fundraiser 7pm @ Music Conservatory of Sandpoint Showcasing the incredible talents of conservatory faculty in an intimate classical setting

Grand Opening of Little Carnegie Hall 2pm @ Music Conservatory of Sandpoint Music Matters firehouse concert. FREE! Live Music w/ Boot Juice • 8pm @ Eichardt’s Bluesy rock’n’roll to progressive bluegrass Suzuki Celebration 2pm @ Panida Theater A concert for the whole family

monDAY, June 6

Monday Night Blues Jam w/ John Firshi 7pm @ Eichardt’s Pub

Group Run @ Outdoor Experience 6pm @ Outdoor Experience 3-5 miles, all levels welcome, beer after

tuesDAY, June 7

Rock Creek Alliance sip and shop • 4-8pm @ Pend d’Oreille Winery Help Rock Creek Alliance kick off their 25th anniversary celebration. Learn about their efforts to protect Lake Pend Oreille from the proposed Rock Creek Mine and purchase a limited edition commemorative wine glass or specially labeled bottle of wine. The Winery will donate 10% of their sales that evening to Rock Creek Alliance Vigil for Uvalde • 6-7pm @ Evans Brothers Coffee A community vigil to commemorate the 2 adults and 19 children murdered in Uvalde, Texas on May 24, 2022. Bring a candle to light in honor of the victims if you wish Live Music w/ Bart Budwig • 8-10pm @ Idaho Pour Authority Cosmic country groove with elements of indie folk and yard gnomes

wednesDAY, June 8

Live Piano Music w/ Jason Evans 3-5pm @ Pend d’Oreille Winery 18 /

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Open Mic 6-10pm @ The Tervan

STAGE & SCREEN

One with the woods

By Lyndsie Kiebert-Carey Reader Staff Like many origin stories, Karie Lee Knoke’s love for primitive skills and backcountry survival began with a book: My Side of the Mountain, by Jean Craighead George.

The novel, published in 1959, tells the story of a young boy who learns lessons in courage and animal companionship while living alone in the Catskill Mountains.

Knoke said she read the book when she was 8 years old.

“At that point, all I wanted to do was go out into the woods and survive with nothing but my knife like the boy Sam did in that book,” she said.

Also during her childhood, Knoke’s grandparents moved to Cocolalla, introducing her to North Idaho. She went to college and ended up in a corporate career in Seattle. Still, Sam’s story called to her.

“I told myself, ‘I’m going to move here when I retire,’” Knoke said of the Idaho panhandle.

“Then, in the ’90s, I was ready to leave western Washington and I thought, ‘Why am I waiting until I retire?’ Sitting in rush hour traffic

on I-5 in the middle of Seattle, it’s all smoggy — [I thought], ‘I can’t do this. I have to move.’”

Knoke moved to the Sandpoint area in 1997, and in the time since has built a lifestyle and new career based entirely on primitive skills — that is, skills applied to make one’s way in the woods. She now lives in an off-grid yurt where “she is surrounded and supported by the natural world around her,” and works as a primitive skills teacher at gatherings across the West under the moniker Scared Cedars Wilderness School.

“I went back to what I wanted as a child,” she said. “I wanted to camp out all the time.”

“Camping out” is a mild way of describing Knoke’s latest adventure, when she competed on Season 9 of the History Channel’s survival show Alone. Knoke and nine other contestants entered the wilderness valley of Labrador, Canada, with only 10 personal items in hopes of being the last one standing and earning the $500,000 in prize money.

New episodes are currently airing each Thursday at 6 p.m.

Pacific Standard Time.

Knoke, who does not have TV,

learned about the show from a friend after Season 2, and consequently knew several of the contestants due to her connections in the primitive skills world. She then pursued appearing on the show, and got her chance in Season 9.

For her 10 items, Knoke chose paracord, a sleeping bag, a twoquart pot, a ferro rod, fishing line and hooks, a bow and arrows, trapping wire, a multitool, an ax and emergency rations.

While there is a safety net of show crew to support contestants if they need medical intervention, participants are truly alone and tasked with filming themselves.

Knoke, who has embarked on extended primitive backcountry trips in the past, said that the filming often slowed her down.

“That was an adjustment, having to deal with camera gear,” she said.

“But that’s also the creative piece.”

She said that the Season 9 cast has grown very close and that “exchanging knowledge” before and after the competition was a huge part of the experience. She said that camaraderie is something she has found during the past two decades of truly delving into the primitive skills world.

Local woman competes on Season 9 of History Channel’s Alone

“These are my people,” she said, “and this is what I want to be doing.”

Something that surprised her while taking part in Alone, Knoke said, is how often she thought of people back home.

“When I travel to do other things, I’m just focused on where I’m at and I don’t think too much about home life. But when I was out there, I was amazed about how many people from Sandpoint I thought about. My dreams were really clear and I had dreams of so many random people from Sandpoint,” she said with a laugh.

“It was pretty unique and bizarre at the same time,” she added. “It was fun, too, because I felt really connected to my homeland, which I was not expecting. It was great to have that feeling.”

Catch new episodes of Alone on the History Channel each Thursday at 6 p.m. PST. Stream

Karie Lee Knoke. Photo

by Brendan George Ko for The History Channel. all past episodes at history.com.

Learn more about Karie Lee Knoke and Sacred Cedars Wilderness School at karieleeknoke.com.

Obi-Wan Kenobi miniseries on Disney+ is (so far) bringing some balance to the Force

By Zach Hagadone Reader Staff One of the most comforting, yet often tedious, things about the Star Wars universe is that no one ever really dies. They can get chopped in half, swallowed by a sarlacc, blown up on a sail barge or Death Star, thrown down a reactor shaft or simply slip away in old age, but you can bet they’ll return in some form or other in a sequel, prequel or spinoff (sometimes even in the sequel to a prequel spinoff).

To borrow a phrase, “Old Jedis never die, they just fade away,” but they don’t even fully fade away. Case in point, the new Disney+ series Obi-Wan Kenobi, which premiered May 27 with two one-hour episodes comprising one-third of its planned six-episode limited series.

For those in need of a narra-

tive primer, Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi first appeared as an old man (played by Sir Alec Guinness) in the 1977 kickoff to the franchise, Star Wars: A New Hope.

In that movie he was killed by his former apprentice, Darth Vader, but transformed into a “force ghost” to guide Vader’s teenaged son, Luke Skywalker, on his hero’s journey.

A younger version of Kenobi returned for a central role (played

by Ewan McGregor) in the prequel trilogy, which was released in the early 2000s. Finally, his force ghost voice showed up in the final installment of the “sequel” trilogy, The Rise of Skywalker, in 2019.

In the broader timeline, the new series Obi-Wan Kenobi takes place between the events of Revenge of the Sith and A New Hope. Here we find Kenobi a decade after the destruction of the Jedi Order at the hands of his former pupil Anakin Skywalker, a.k.a. Darth Vader,

simultaneously hiding from the Empire’s death squads and keeping an eye on 10-year-old Luke, who is growing up in secret on Tatooine under the care of his Uncle Owen and Aunt Beru.

Portrayed by McGregor, who reprises his role from the prequels, Kenobi is downtrodden and haunted by his self-admitted failure to keep Anakin from the Dark Side.

He’s living in a cave, spending his days working on a meat-cutting assembly line and consciously not using his legendary powers.

That’s by design, as Master Yoda sent him to Tatooine to make sure that Vader didn’t learn of the existence of his twin children, Luke and Leia, and either murder them or convert them to the Dark Side.

Based on that setup, one might expect Kenobi to be a story about “Old Ben” and Luke, but that’s where the series flips the script in its first two episodes. Rather,

Kenobi suspends his hermetic vigilance to rescue Leia, who has been kidnapped from her adopted home on Alderaan.

In his effort to track down the feisty princess, Kenobi is lured closer and closer to the clutches of the Empire’s “inquisitors,” one of whom (played by a menacing Moses Ingram) is particularly obsessed with capturing Obi-Wan and bringing him before Vader in order to elevate her own position in the Jedi-hunting outfit.

That’s enough spoilers, though.

What most reviewers have focused on with Kenobi is how it repositions the Star Wars franchise away from the latter days of the “Skywalker Saga” and toward the prequels, which were met with almost universal disgust by older fans when they first hit theaters.

McGregor has admitted how disheartening it was to see the level of vitriol poured on those films;

but, as he also pointed out, an entire generation has since grown to adulthood with Episodes I-III as their Star Wars lodestones.

That’s fair, and as a Star Wars originalist at heart, I have to admit that Kenobi does an admirable job of calling back as well as forward, providing fan service to the younglings and giving oldsters an Obi-Wan they can better recognize as the “wizard” who Uncle Owen described as “a crazy old man” in A New Hope.

It’s too early to tell if Kenobi will retain that balance while providing something new and vibrant to the ever-expanding Star Wars canon (if there’s even one frame featuring Jar-Jar Binks or any Gungan, for that matter, I’m out). Whether it’s a flop or not, though, we’ll surely see Obi-Wan again somewhere in the galaxy far, far away. For now, see him on Disney+, with new episodes released weekly.

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MUSIC

Music Conservatory to celebrate grand opening of Little Carnegie Concert Hall

By Reader Staff After a years-long effort, the Little Carnegie Concert Hall at Music Conservatory of Sandpoint is ready for its debut with a grand opening weekend of public concerts and events from Friday, June 3 through Sunday, June 5.

Located on the ground floor at 110 Main St. in downtown Sandpoint, the concert hall is the newest addition to MCS, which houses more than 11,000 square feet of teaching studios and rehearsal rooms in the historic building that once served as the Sandpoint City Hall and Fire Station. The spaces support private music study, as well as a wide variety of groups including youth choirs, orchestra, contemporary ensembles, and handbell and percussion troupes.

The new 90-seat concert hall is acoustically optimized to showcase musical talent from around the region, nation and world.

“We are building the stage of dreams — in stages,” stated MCS Director Karin Wedemeyer. “We invite the community to participate, so that our students can dream up their musical future in Little Carnegie.”

MCS faculty and students, joined by local performing artists, will present the premiere public performance of Little Carnegie on Friday, June 3, with a grand opening event: “Evening in Madrid.”

The gala starts at 6 p.m. with a ribbon cutting and the concert doors will open at 7 p.m. The one-night-only concert begins at 8 p.m., featuring a variety of Spanish classical music. Limited premium indoor seating is available. Tickets are $55 and include a cava toast to the new hall, while a selection of curated Spanish wines will be available for purchase.

The old firehouse doors will open to Second Avenue, with attendees encouraged to bring their own chairs for lawn-style street seating free of charge. Silk shimmers, street performers and caricature artists will be on hand to celebrate the event, while Jalapenos will offer Spanish-themed street-side food vending before and during the event.

The following day will feature a Saturday Market Concert at 11 a.m. hosted by MCS and presenting standouts from the conservatory’s spring semester classes and performances, followed by the Little Carnegie debut of the MCS Rock Ensemble. The Pend Oreille

Arts Council will present an artist exhibit at 3 p.m.

Also on Saturday, June 4, the 2022 Honors Showcase will present top MCS students at the top of their game. Singers, flutists, pianists and violinists will take the stage at 7 p.m., followed by a dessert reception. All tickets are $10 and available online or at the door.

On Sunday, June 5 at 1 p.m., Bonner County History Museum Curator Heather Upton will offer a free public presentation on historic figures and happenings at 110 Main St. The talk is sponsored by the Idaho Humanities Council.

The concert hall returns to ac-

tion at 2 p.m. with the free Music Matters! Firehouse Concert.

Weather permitting, firehouse doors will open to take the music into the streets.

MCS will host its annual Spring Serenade fundraiser on Sunday at 7 p.m., showcasing the talents of conservatory faculty in an intimate classical music setting.

The firehouse doors will be closed, so seating is limited. Adult tickets are $25 and youth are $5.

In addition to inaugurating the Little Carnegie Concert Hall, all events serve to raise funds for student scholarships and conservatory operations. Friday and Sunday evening performances feature a no-host wine bar, and

MCS Executive Director Karin Wedemeyer watches as a student practices on the grand piano inside the newly-renovated Little Carnegie Hall. Photo by Ben Olson. an onsite silent auction will run over the weekend.

MCS has operated in the downtown Main Street location since fall 2010, yet Little Carnegie represents the first dedicated rehearsal space for the Youth Orchestra and Musical Theater in the school’s 12-year history.

Choose from individual concerts or reserved seating online at sandpointconservatory. org. Advance tickets are recommended.

A snapshot of notable live music coming up in Sandpoint Heat Speak, Sandpoint Farmers’ Market, June 4 Hailing from Spokane, Heat Speak is an indie folk group led by singer-songwriter Dario Ré, who sings poetic lyrics in English and French. Ré is supported by a talented group of musicians with intricate, unique arrangements to create a blend of indie folk, chamber pop and world fusion. Instruments in Heat Speak include guitars, piano, ukulele, mandolin, upright bass, mandocello, cello and drums.

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Heat Speak were nominated in 2019 for a Bartlett Award as Best Local Folk Band/Artist. Their debut album, To Love Wind, was released in September 2020.

— Ben Olson 10 a.m.-1 p.m., FREE. Sandpoint Farmers’ Market, Farmin Park at Oak Street and Third Avenue, sandpointfarmersmarket.com. Listen at heatspeakmusic. com.

Boot Juice, Eichardt’s Pub, June 5 So much of what passes for “indie-folk-Americana-bluegrass” amounts to a variation on the same theme: jangly banjo, good-natured acoustic guitar picking and shambly bass lines sporting plaid shirts, beards and wide-brimmed hats.

While elements of those genres can be found in Boise-based Boot Juice’s sound, it is emphatically not one of those bands.

This is a seven-piece powerhouse that kicks out blues-infused rock ’n’ roll, pro-

gressive bluegrass, rollicking roadhouse, and even some jazz-gospel and R&B. It’s a truly huge sound (including three-part harmonies and alto saxophone) that will sound even huger at Eichardt’s, so turn your boots in that direction.

— Zach Hagadone 8 p.m., FREE. Eichardt’s Pub, 212 Cedar St., 208-263-4005-, eichardtspub. com. Listen at bootjuicejams.com.

MUSIC

On a local note

Music students to play Suzuki Celebration concert at the Panida

By Lyndsie Kiebert-Carey Reader Staff The hard work is about the pay off for Suzuki String Academy students, who will be showing off their performance chops at the Panida Theater on Sunday, June 5 at 2 p.m. during Sandpoint’s first annual Suzuki Celebration concert.

According to Ruth Klinginsmith, owner of Sandpoint’s Suzuki String Academy, such celebration concerts are a tradition at Suzuki schools all over world, where large groups of students — in some cases as many as 500 — “come together and play a common repertoire.”

“Our vision is to give this experience to our Suzuki students in our local community,” Klinginsmith said. “We have over 50 students ages 4 to adult performing together on the historic Panida “Music has the power to stage this Sunday afternoon.” impact a community in a positive The celebration concert will way,” Klinginsmith said. “Our include solo and group performission is investing in lives and mances on violin, viola, cello building beautiful hearts through and piano. By showcasing the music. We invite budding artists community to Suzuki Celebration the on the Panida come share in this stage, the broader Sunday, June 5, 2 p.m.; doors unique and beaucommunity will open at 1:30 p.m.; $10 adult tiful celebration of have the chance to tickets, $5 for youth. Panida music.” hear what students Theater, 300 N. First Ave., The academy is have been working 208-263-9191. Get tickets based on the Suzuso diligently on at panida.org or at the door. ki method, named during both prifor Japanese vate and group lessons offered at violinist Shinichi Suzuki, which is Suzuki String Academy. a specific music teaching philos-

ophy focused on training students from a young age to acquire musical skill much in the same way that they acquire their native language. Despite this youth-based approach, Suzuki String Academy plays host to students of all ages.

With the concert fast approaching, Klinginsmith added, “the anticipation is building in the students as they prepare to perform.”

“We love seeing the smiles of satisfaction on the faces of students and their families after working so hard and sharing their music together,” Klinginsmith said. “We believe that music

Suzuki String Academy students are excited to share their music June 5. Courtesy photo. touches hearts and changes lives.”

Purchase tickets to the first annual Suzuki Celebration at panida. org or at the door. Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for youth. Music starts at 2 p.m. and doors to the theater open half an hour earlier.

Learn more about Suzuki String Academy at suzukistringacademy.com. Those with questions about the academy or celebration performance are invited to email info@suzukistringsacademy.com.

Bart Budwig, Idaho Pour Authority, June 7 country lawn gnome,” Budwig has a style that blends all the best parts of old school country music with edgy Americana, swagger-filled blues and a healthy dose of rock ’n’ roll. His vocals are poised for the stories of everyday people who toil and love and know a good cosmic-country groove when they hear one.

It would be tempting to make comparisons to Nathaniel Rateliff or Strand of Oaks, but the truth is that Budwig is one of a kind, and

READ

You might recognize Ambrose Bierce’s name from his famed short story, An Occurrence on Owl Creek Bridge, but one of his best works is the 1906 satire The Devil’s Dictionary. In this “dictionary,” Bierce lists common words and then gives often hilarious definitions to those words. One example is the word “Egotist: (n.) A person of low taste, more interested in himself than in me.” Bierce wandered off to Mexico in 1913 to gain first-hand experience of the Mexican Revolution and was never seen again, leaving behind this book.

LISTEN

A snapshot of notable live music coming up in Sandpoint

Being a rural, Western, blue-collar person tastes like cold beer and homemade huckleberry coffee cake; smells like red fir sawdust and damp soil; feels like a subalpine breeze in the heat of July; and sounds like Bart Budwig.

Luckily, the cold beer and Budwig will be in ample supply at Idaho Pour Authority on Tuesday, June 7 as the Oregon artist graces Sandpoint as part of his Northwest tour.

Once described as a “cosmic

This week’s RLW by Ben Olson

the opportunity to see him and his band in such an intimate setting as Idaho Pour Authority is not an opportunity to miss.

This is a listening event, and donations are suggested at the door.

— Lyndsie Kiebert-Carey 8-10 p.m., donations accepted at the door, 21+. Idaho Pour Authority, 203 Cedar St., idahopourauthority.com. Listen at bartbudwig.com.

Though it’s more than 20 years old, Jason Molina’s album The Lioness, under his stage moniker Songs: Ohia, is just as cathartic and relevant today as it was in 2000.

The album showcases Molina’s delicate and raw songwriting prowess, with his songs falling under the unique “dark-yet-cheerful” category. Molina died in 2013 of organ failure due to alcoholism, cutting short a career filled with promise. Along with his album The Magnolia Electric Co., The Lioness is Molina at his peak. Light a candle and listen.

WATCH

Imagine visiting a fertility doctor to undergo artificial insemination and learning later that instead of sperm coming from your chosen donor, the same doctor was ejaculating in another room and impregnating you with their sperm. This is the premise behind Netflix’s new documentary Our Father, which tells the story of Dr. Donald Cline, who “fathered” at least 94 children with his unwitting patients through the 1970s and ’80s. The documentary explores the struggle these siblings experienced trying to get to the bottom of Dr. Cline’s nefarious deeds.

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BACK OF THE BOOK

From Daily Panidan, June 2, 1928

FLOOD WATERS SLOWLY RECEDE DROP OF THREE INCHES IS RECORDED HERE SINCE THURSDAY HIGH WATER MARK With continued low temperatures, the water level of Lake Pend d’Oreille is slowly going down and this morning stood at about three inches under the high mark reached Thursday.

Reports from Plains and other Montana cities on the Clarksfork river are that that stream is lowering rapidly at a rate of several inches each day. It is believed that the lake has reached its crest and will continue to fall.

The two-mile-long wagon bridge across the lake is still menaced by a large amount of driftwood which has gathered on the upstream side but it is believed that this danger can be overcome if winds do not start blowing.

Six bents have been taken from the bridge to permit the passage of the driftwood into the current of the river below, and a large crew of men is engaged in moving the driftwood through as fast as possible. The men are being aided by a small boat. Guards are also still posted at both ends of the bridge day and night to warn motorists to drive slowly and with care.

Reports from Newport, Wash. state that the river there has reached the highest stage of any year except in 1913 and the memorable flood of 1891.

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On questions for my dad

By Sandy Compton Reader Staff My neighbor Aaron Harris showed up with his portable sawmill this week, and we proceeded to make rectangular pieces out of round logs harvested from my place by Ma Nature herself: windthrown Douglas fir, cedar and hemlock courtesy of big wind events during the past few years. Brother Kent and I salvaged them with my chainsaw and his tractor. He sent his portion off to the mill, but I reserved mine for personal use.

Homegrown is best, right?

The lumber is fodder for the continuing project of rebuilding the cabin my mom and dad put together over a few decades starting in the 1950s — and never quite finished.

My dad took a crash course in jackknife carpentry from my Grandpa Earl when they cobbled the first iteration together in 1953; on-the-job training for future shoestring projects. Grandpa built — in the late 1920s — the 12- by 14-foot log cabin that is the original kernel of the structure we lived in as a young family. My mom wired that and the log addition Dad and Grandpa built for electricity. Another homegrown product.

Meanwhile, back in this century, Aaron and his mill produced beautiful one-inch boards for new floors, window framing and sheeting. I also had him cut two dozen 13-foot two-by-four-and-a-halves. This is surely not a conventional size, but they match the rafters my dad used in 1960 for what became a kitchen and my parents’ bedroom. Why he used rough-cut two-by-fourand-a-halves, as opposed to two-by-fours, I haven’t a clue. Did he get them on sale; half off for half an inch over?

The rafters over the 1953 addition are kiln-finished two-by-fours (planed to one-

STR8TS Solution

and-a-half by three-and-a-half), a number of which had obviously been put to other purposes before becoming part of the ceiling under which I slept during my childhood.

Dad and Grandpa put enough pitch on the roof (well over 100%) to assertively shed snow. It has ever since.

Another question I have is why these rafters are placed on 26-inch centers instead of 24 or even 18. My best guess is that Dad counted the number of two-by-fours he had and divided the combined length of the roof sills by that number less two (framing carpenters will understand) and the answer was 26 inches.

The rafters to be replaced by the two-byfour-and-a-halves are tamarack and Doug fir poles made and placed almost a century ago

by Grandpa Earl. When someone asks how old the cabin is, I can answer, “Ninety-five, 69, 60 and two years old.” The 2-year-old portion is my contribution to the footprint, also made from lumber cut by Aaron from salvaged trees.

There are many things my dad did piecing the house together that I don’t quite get, except on a general basis. Disassembling or reinforcing his carpentry is often an exercise in conjecture. “Why did you do that, Old Man?” I ask. There is one apparent answer: “Because that’s what it took to accomplish this with the time, money and materials at hand.”

“Yeah,” I think, “but why two-by-fourand-a-half? That seems pretty intentional.”

There is only silence.

I have many questions I would ask my dad, but I can’t. He’s been gone for as many years as he was in my life in his physical form. He left too early, but I did end up with many of the things he left behind, including that old/new cabin and his penchant for

building things out of salvaged logs, recycled lumber and slightly used nails.

This month is the 94th anniversary of Dad’s birth. Father’s Day is coming up as well. You might want to sit down with your dad on June 19 — or any day, for that matter — and ask him questions, maybe how he came to live where he does, how he met your mom, or what his greatest adventure was when he was a young man. Those answers may lead to other questions, some he may not want to answer — dads can be somewhat monolithic sometimes. But if you don’t ask now, you may not get a chance later. And then, you will never know.

Sandy Compton is a writer with roots in Montana and Idaho. Read more of his “Few Thoughts” at blucreekpress.com/write-on.

His books, as well as those of other writers published by Blue Creek Press, are available at local bookstores and online at bluecreekpress.com/books and Amazon.

Crossword Solution

Sudoku Solution

When I was a child, there were times when we had to entertain ourselves. And usually the best way to do that was to turn on the TV.

Solution on page 22

Solution on page 22

carapace

Woorf tdhe Week

By Bill Borders

/KAR-uh-peys/

[noun] 1. a bony or chitinous shield, test, or shell covering some or all of the dorsal part of an animal, as of a turtle.

“The turtle’s carapace was cracked from a passing vehicle’s tire hitting it.”

Corrections: Sorry, there was another mistake on the calendar page in the May 26 Reader. The KNPS Native Plant Sale is actually June 4, not June 2. Please send us your events listings early in the week to help us avoid these mistakes. — BO

Copyright www.mirroreyes.com

Laughing Matter

CROSSWORD ACROSS 1. Small island 5. Thin person 10. Backside 14. Average 15. Thither 16. A Great Lake 17. Beauty 19. Assist illegally 20. Petrol 21. Value 22. Delete 23. Polished 25. Poplar variety 27. Unit of energy 28. Toward the front 31. Plenty 34. Seaweed 35. Letter after sigma 36. Extol 37. More aloof 38. Parsley or sage 39. Ever last one 40. Abscond 41. Pantywaist 42. Small streams 44. Distant 45. Foe 46. Reclamation 50. Sensational 52. Minimal 54. Avenue (abbrev.)

55. Module 56. Profound contemplation 58. Extent

Solution on page 22 59. Licoricelike flavor 60. Ardent 61. Pigeon-___ 62. Discourage 63. Scarlets

DOWN 1. Picture 2. Floral leaf 3. Oversight 4. East northeast 5. Powerful 6. Navigational aid 7. Let out 8. Highest-ranked angel

9. G 10. Holder 11. City dwellers 12. Connections 13. French for “Head” 18. Mindful 22. Type of sword 24. Neuter 26. Asterisk 28. Assumed name 29. Paddles 30. Red shade 31. Winglike 32. French Sudan, today 33. Destroy completely

34. Welder’s gas 37. Any thing 38. Employ 40. Sleigh 41. Father Christmas 43. Together 44. Suppurate 46. Lift 47. Relinquish 48. Evade 49. Loans 50. Craving 51. Freshwater mussel 53. Rewrite 56. Angry 57. Driveway surface June 2, 2021 /

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